Optimum Illusion
by Erizabesu Miharu
Summary: Mikey, Leo, Don, and Raph are back in the city. But things haven't changed beneath the newly constructed surface; enemies flow in abundance. And when the Shredder makes his move, loyalties are questioned, and the brothers rush to fix things. But this time, it may be too late. Movie-verse. Summery is vague, but I promise the story is engaging!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, ok, ok... THIS is the story I've been wanting to write since I started this whole series! I can't wait to lay it out and see what you all think. Emma's such a great** **character** **and I've loved flushing her out against the awesome Eastman and Laird backdrop. If you're a first time reader, you might want to read 'How to Meet A Girl' and 'How to Treat a Girl' first to catch up on what's happening.**

 **If not, I'm at least glad that you dropped in for a read!** **First-timer or** **veteran, read, review, berate, you know the drill. Above all, have fun and eat something tasty while you read.**

 **(June, 2015) I'm OCD about timelines, remember.**

"Smell THAT!" Michelangelo craned his head up close to the vent. "The smog, the cigarette smoke, the grease of fried food... the alleys filled with rotting fried food…" he inhaled deep. "Bros, it is good to be home."

"We haven't even seen it yet." Donatello pointed out from where he sat, playing cards with Leonardo and Master Splinter.

"But I can picture it already." Raphael sighed, kicking back in the corner. "And it's a thing of beauty."

The trailer jolted then, sending its mutated cargo sprawling dangerously to the left. It was quite embarrassing, when the cargo were trained in the martial arts. Raph yelled at Mikey to get his ugly butt off of him, while Leo and Don helped Master Splinter sit up.

"Mr. Jones seems to akin this truck to his motorcycle." Master Splinter sighed, folding his legs again. "Next time, April drives."

"Unless she and Emma decide to have another feminist road trip." Mikey's shoulders drooped. He always took on a forlorn look whenever Emma did something without him.

"You don't think they could've used a little break?" Donnie chuckled at him. "Five months in the same house with six guys. Plus, April had to get all of her rides back to the city from Casey."

"She probably needs her kidneys replaced." Leo joked dryly. "Only ten more minutes."

"If we make it that far." Raph growled, the trailer lurching again.

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"Wow." Emma stared up at the apartments, licking at her strawberry-banana cone. She'd ordered it hard-dipped in chocolate and could ill-afford distractions; but hey, the building was distracting. "Yeah, just… wow."

April shook her head in agreement, mounting the first front step. "I know. Not a brick out of place."

They glanced sideways at the charred face of their neighboring building. It began the strange and irregular pattern of injuries to the architecture all along the block. Their street had since been cleared and paved, but any actual housing repairs were slow going… but they were going because resources were actually _not_ stretched thin. April had mentioned how all efforts to clean up territory under the Purple Dragons had been run out... the punks were doing their own. Whatever that meant.

'Well, it's not like we have to unpack anything." Emma perked, tugging at the drawstring bag pinching the sleeves of her shirt. Its bright stripes, coupled with the ice cream, just masked the dread she had been fighting to not feel the whole ride back into the city. Master Splinter's words from May echoed back at her and they were finally doing the thing she had always loathed- re-entering reality. Growing up, it had always felt like that, every time she had broken the surface of the waves. Leaving the slow, rhythmic world of the ocean behind…

"Might as well see if we got robbed." April twisted the key into their lock. "Casey wouldn't let me even come on the block when we came back."

Emma paused, letting ice cream drip down her chin. "So… _where_ did you stay?"

"A hotel." April stated without batting an eye. "Just to get him off my back."

Emma nodded, getting control of her drip. "Better to keep him guessing."

"Shut up." April nudged the door all the way open. They hesitated a moment, delaying the inevitable. But upon entering, they found it dusty, yet untouched.

"We definitely got a guardian angel." April breathed in relief, taking the final gulp of her cone. Then sneezed.

'You think our angel could've opened a few windows." Emma gave her own cough, running a finger along the living room table. "I'll do the front, you do the back?"

"Deal." April gave a thumbs up. "We've got a good four hours before we meet up with Casey and the guys…"

Emma smiled at how April put Casey's name first. Love was blooming for those two. She saw it every time they argued. It was just a matter of time… Emma had already talked the brothers down at the mention of it. And taken the hose to Mikey when he had suggested a marriage purposal of his own. The goof... the adorable goof. Emma shoved the living room window up. _Wonder what Mom's doing right now?_

Not that she had sought to find out. She had been delaying that phone call as much as possible. Dad was in jail, awaiting a trail that was of course taking a back seat to the city's reconstruction, but Mom? Emma could only guess where she was living or how she was keeping herself. Mom had depended on Dad for a lot... Emma sighed the worries back, moving into the kitchen. About jumping into the ceiling. "Wha-"

Man! Strange man in their apartment! He looked up at her with sharp hazel eyes and shoulder-length blond curls… and rumpled, disheveled clothing. Emma whipped her bag off her shoulders. "Hobo invasion!"

The guy's eyes went wide and he barely had time to raise his hands before Emma rained her knapsack on him. He went down easy and April rushed in to find him prostate on the tile, Emma's knee pinned to his back. "April, open the door and I'll roll him out!"

"Wait, wait, wait!' the man protested from the floor. "I come in peace, really! I'm sorry if this' forward, but after two months I thought I owed it to myself to at least…"

Emma and April looked at each other. April hunkered down to get a better look at him. "What'd you mean two months? Are you stalking us?"

He dared to lift his head. "Not you… her."

Emma stilled. April looked back up at her as she eased her knee off. "Me?"

"You're Emma Tomes."

"Dewitter." Emma couldn't correct him quick enough.

'Well that could explain why I haven't been able to locate you…"

"Randy." April let out her breath. "Let 'im up, Emma. Meet Randy Faulk, journalist for the Times."

Emma narrowed her eyes at this tidbit. "You open the door and I'll roll…"

"Oh c'mon!" Faulk was up now, dusting himself off. "After that face plant, you at least owe me a quote."

"We're rolling." Emma pushed him through the kitchen threshold, April having cleared the way. But Faulk dug his heels in. "Look honey, I'm just the start, ya'know. You don't think every media outlet in the city's…"

"I'm not your honey," Emma told him. "And not your next big scoop."

"You kinda are." Faulk spun, walking backwards. "Like it or not, nobody's forgotten how your dad…"

"Enough," April tapped her foot, holding the door open. "You heard what she said."

Faulk eyed her, continuing to be pushed out by Emma until he braced a shoulder on the doorframe. "Oh! I see how it is. Her flapping lips are already spoken for."

Emma looked over at April to share an eye roll. Only to find her roommate's chin jutting out at him. Faulk matched it. "Guess it's a pretty easy choice, who to interview for. Seeing as how her roomie's doing everything to climb the ladder at Channel 6."

"Ok, get out!" April reached in and gave the final shove.

"Is Thompson offering you double for it too, or is this a freebie?"

"OUT!" the girls slammed the door and did the chain. Emma waited for his footsteps to fade down the hall before she looked fully at April. By her expression, she didn't have to ask any questions. It was no secret at Channel 6 that she was April's roommate. She had made herself quite recognizable around the snack bar, whenever the situation called for her to be there. Or when it didn't and they just had those awesome turkey wraps with the garlic-chipolte mayo...

Bottom line, her identity would make it no secret of who her father was and what he had done during- and prior to- the invasion. But, had the network been giving April a hard time about it?

"I didn't think it appropriate to ask until we were settled back in." April picked at a nail, things growing awkward.

"But Thompson's been on your back about it? 'It' being an inside scoop on a traitor's daughter."

April's attention stayed on the nail, walking farther back into the apartment. "She's been on everybody's back, especially with the six-month anniversary coming up."

"So that's what I am." Emma huffed after her. "The six-month special."

"Don't be like that." April turned into the kitchen. "Everybody's looking for an explanation about how a branch of our own government could hide something like this. And think that it was for the good of humankind."

"I'm wondering the same thing." Emma reminded her.

"Ok," April held out a hand to calm her. Good luck, since there was no food item attached to it. "Say the word and I won't pressure you about it."

"Ok." Emma felt instant relief. "No… now, this might be a good time to…"

They had made their way back into the kitchen, where Emma opened up the fridge; and about gagged. "Ah… you remember that pork chop I was saving?"

"No." April looked over her shoulder. She made a face right along with Emma. "Ugh... Is it supposed to have hair?"


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you who ship Mikey/Emma, you'll LOVE this chapter! (: teehee :)**

April barely made it through the threshold of the lair before the guys swarmed her. In five seconds flat, the sausage, onion, and artichoke pizzas were out of her hands and spread out across the table, along with the three greasy boxes of garlic cheese breadsticks that Emma had ordered last minute. Surrounding the table, April watched her friend as she dove in right along with the rest. She let the talk come and go between the boys and Casey, not really engaging like she would. Until she spotted Emma looking at her, eyebrow raised in question. "You ok?"

"Yes, just... Are you sure?" April asked, right in a pause of the conversation. Emma's eyes clouded.

"Sure about what?" Mikey and Casey asked through mouthfuls of cheese and oregano.

"Nothing." Emma dug in for another breadstick. "Big bucket of nothing. But, for the record, yeah, I'm very sure."

There was an awkward moment. Then the guys shrugged, content to return to their food. April looked down at her slice. But what was gnawing at her wasn't hunger. Nor was it a new gnawing. True, Thompson had approached her last month about interviewing Emma and April couldn't deny that it felt like the answer to some of her own questions for Emma. She hadn't brought it up at the farmhouse because good grief, Emma's dad had just been jailed. But now…

"You're certain…" she lingered again. Emma dropped her pizza on her plate, but held onto the breadstick. "I couldn't be more sure then if I donned a cardigan sweater, swept my hair into a bun, and planted myself behind the desk in the central library."

What did that mean? Ugh, only Emma.

"Should we know what's happening?" Raph eyed Casey across the table.

"Maybe there's a codebook we could consult." Mikey whispered, eyes darting back and forth, watching the intense females. April raised a hand to calm them. "Emma, I just don't think you should write off this opportunity…"

"I'm beginning to wonder who it's an opportunity for." Emma's eyes narrowed. "it's like you want this to happen."

April shrugged. "I'm not in favor of it _not_ happening."

"Don't use the double negative on me." Emma huffed, breadstick ramming into her mouth. "I can't believe this."

"Guys," Leo rose up. "Maybe we should-"

"No way!" Casey and Raph yanked him back down.

"Emma, think about it." April spoke over Emma's obnoxious chewing. "Our answering machine had eighteen messages on it today. And they're not going to stop. If we did the interview, then they would."

"I don't want to do the interview." Emma insisted, her voice hard with the swallow of bread.

"What interview?" the guys- even Master Splinter- all shouted over them. April opened her mouth, but Emma beat her to it. "Channel 6 wants an expose on me and they've hired April as their bloodhound."

That stung. "Don't blow it out of proportion."

"I'm not."

"One would think that you'd want to do this." April looked her friend over. "Rumors have been circulating since your dad was arrested. You could put those to rest."

"Like I care what other people are fabricating." Emma leaned back with an over confident arm fold. "They've got no business listening to me talk about my life. Why are you pushing this, April?"

"Yeah," Mikey piped in. "She's made her thoughts contempt… no, clear… concise! That's it, right?"

"You would stick up for her." April sighed without meaning to. Emma checked the pizza box, only to find it empty. No escape. She closed it and looked at April, who looked right back at her. "You want me to do this, April. Not for me, but for you. That's what's bugging me."

"It could help clear things up." April stressed. "That's all."

"Cuse I haven't been clear enough already?" Emma's face fell. "That's what you're saying, isn't it."

The table went into silence again. No chewing, no whispering. Emma looked past Donnie and Master Splinter, over to Leo. "Does… does everybody feel this way? After the black hole and the guerrilla group, you think that I'm holding something back?"

Leo looked like he preferred the guillotine to answering. "It's not… not so much that…"

"Well what else can you call it?" Raph spoke out and even April groaned. Emma refolded her arms as Raph zeroed in on her. "Those rumors April mentioned? They all come back to you and your genes. I mean, first the whole mess with the Purple Dragons. Then your dad was in on the plan to revive Shredder _and_ harvest us out to the Kraang. Can you blame us if a few doubts are still lingering."

"Maybe…" Donnie cleared his throat. "Maybe an interview can be the thing that closes the issue altogether."

April could've kissed him for putting into words that she couldn't. But the disheartened glaze that came over Emma's eyes brought the guilt back. Emma pushed back from the table. "So, guess that's it. I'm still Imogene Tomes to you guys… thanks for clarifying that for me."

"Emma!" Mikey leapt up to go after her, but Master Splinter's paw stopped him. "Miss Dewitter, if our doubts had been of any great concern, do you believe we'd continue to invite you to our home?"

Emma considered him a moment, but then focused on grabbing her windbreaker. "You know what they say; 'keep your enemies closer.'"

With that, she stomped out… just like she had five months ago. Master Splinter stayed Mikey from going after her, looking at April. "Miss O'Neil… you need to be the one to fix this."

April's mouth fell open. Her, fix this? But.. she... that is... Just the same, she left the table, going after Emma. Not that she attempted to hurry and April didn't catch up to her until they were topside and on the platform of the nearest subway. The increasing crowds forced April to shout. "Emma… Emma… EMMA!"

"Don't you mean Imogene!" came the heated reply. Emma didn't bother to turn around.

"Do you want me to just stop what I'm feeling?" April came around, so their glares could fizz at each other. Why bother hiding their growing rages at this point. Course, hers was more at the fact that Emma was getting so upset. April rubbed at her brow. "I really don't think I'm asking for much here."

"I don't care about the quantity." Emma glanced down the black hole of the track, anticipating the rumbling car that was growing louder. "Maybe you should stop focusing on your feelings and notice others once in a while. This is _hard_ for me! And if you had felt that I was holding something back, why not just ask me over a bag of cheddar and sour cream chips?"

April didn't answer because she knew that Emma was smart enough to guess. She stepped, anxious for a distraction of some kind. Emma backed away too, her jaw setting hard. "So I still have to prove myself, my loyalty, my honesty. Even with everything…"

"You had weeks to tell me or the guys about your connection with Oroku Saki." April reminded her. "You violated a trust."

Emma nodded. "And now you're violating mine. Guess that makes us even."

The tunnel became blinded for a second, then winded with the swift arrival of the subway cars. April and Emma stared off, even though their hair obstructed their views. Emma looked away then, the doors opening. "All you had to do was ask, April."

The crowds pushing through made it hard for April to be heard, so she stepped closer. "I couldn't."

"So you figured you'd get me to open up to a city of 8 million." Emma's tone dried. "Great strategy. It's all just another story for you."

April sighed. "No. Emma, you're not…"

"What then?" Emma cut her off. "I'm obviously not your friend."

 _She's taking this way too personally._ April reasoned, watching her back disappear into the car. _A couple days, a few candy bars, and she'll be fine. And it's not about the story. It's about the certainty._

Was that too much ask?

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

The brothers split into pairs often, but not many solos- they tried to avoid those. First night back atop NYC though, Leo figured that they could all use a little breathing space. Plus, they were wanting to assess the city's recovery, as well as the Foot's. In Leo speak, more coverage meant a better report. Yeah, whatever. Mikey had taken off before Leo could actually assign him a route, promising a full report when he got back. He now skimmed the skyline to get to April and Emma's apartment in fair time. He was out of practice, but Mikey made it eventually, dangling himself down to peek inside Emma's bedroom window.

She lay on her bed in sleeveless pajamas with purple sheep. Her head hung off the end, red hair to the floor, and a whipped cream can in one hand. Emma drew it up, inserted the nozzle in her mouth and squeeshed a pillow of white into her mouth… It was one of the most beautiful things Mikey had ever seen! He bumped his knuckles to the glass. Emma started, then rolled off her bed. Still swallowing, she shoved the window up.

Mikey grinned. "It's your first night back in the city. How about a midnight view?"

She eyed his outstretched hand a sec, then grabbed it with a giggle. "I feel like Jasmine here, Aladdin."

"Your whole new world awaits." Mikey hoisted her up to where she had a good grip on his shell. He skittered up the building's drain pipe and swung them over. Then he took off running! Emma's breath caught at the first alleyway he leapt over, but her grip didn't waver. This built Mikey's confidence as he bolted over the three other rooftops to get to the water tower.

He let her climb up the ladder and they both settled themselves on the slanted tin roof to catch the half moon above the lights of the city. They had done this a couple times prior to the invasion, and while away, they had adapted to the pokey shingles of the farmhouse. Mikey had to admit that he was missing the stars. He and Emma had been able to make out all kinds of wacky pictures by connecting their twinkling dots.

"I still trust you." He blurted to her while watching the sky, imagining those country stars. "Never stopped. Whatever jail your dad's in, I trust you."

Emma's response was a snort. "Well, I never imagined hearing that sentence in my life."

"Right after, 'Dang, that turtle in the orange is looking fine.'" Mikey wiggled his brows, sidling his shoulder against hers. Emma put her head down in her knees in a giggling fit. Good! She kept a smile for another moment before letting a heavy sigh take it away. "I… I lied to you when we first met though."

"Huh?" Mikey stopped his stomach from churning.

Emma nodded, tilting her head to look at him. "I made my life sound a lot more picturesque then it really is. International travel, doting big brother, your typical whatever parents…"

"Hey, I had you believing I was human." Mikey pointed out.

Emma didn't say anything, suddenly fascinated with her toenails. "I'm not on my dad's side, Mikey. Never was. Truth is, I never… fit. When you're in the military, people watch you. They'll scrutinize your country based on their opinion of you. Dad and Mom made me aware of this, warned me not to disappoint them, and I didn't care. I could only do what was normal; for me that is." She gave a grimace at some invisible memory. "Carson was more shrewd about it, but I was loud and obnoxious when it came to breaking the boundaries of etiquette and procedure."

Mikey was getting this picture in his head of a cute little, five-year-old Emma locked in a cage, forbidden to eat pizza.

'I just wanted to be myself and not some other stiff, Navy porcelain doll." Emma went on when Mikey didn't interrupt. "Not everybody has that courage and… it gets lonely. Your parents don't support the things that make you happy, do what they can to keep it from you…"

"You're exaggerating." Mikey insisted. _Master Splinter may gripe about them, but he'd never deny me a comic book!_

"My dad wanted me to have a career in… economics." Emma gagged on the word. "I wasn't allowed extra-curriculars that didn't include a debate team. And going after Carson when he joined the Purple Dragons? I waited until I was accepted into NYU before telling Dad I was going. That's how I've always had to operate. Guarded, under the radar."

"Oh please, we're all guarded." Mikey laughed. "Like how superheroes guard their secret identities. You don't want that info getting into the wrong hands. Otherwise you'll find a bomb of kryptonite under your car."

"Or the entire League of Assassins crashing through Gothom." Emma suggested.

"Or they kidnap your finance and brainwash her into a lethal assassin, whose sole mission is to destroy you." Mikey added on. Earning another snort from Emma. "Where has that happened?"

"Oh nowhere," Mikey said. "But it should."

"That's morbid."

"Which is why superheroes guard their secret identities." Mikey repeated, folding his arms. As cool and cute as Emma was, she still lacked the proper comic reading skills. But he supposed they all had flaws to bear.

"You think I was just protecting my parents by guarding my own position on this whole mess?" Emma was watching him now, waiting to gauge his answer. No pressure…

Mikey swallowed in the night air. "I think you want to think the best of them. You don't want to disrespect or say anything to hurt them. Enough people are doing that and you don't follow the crowd. It's too bad that's something they can't appreciate about you."

Emma shook her head. "That's what you think?"

"Yeah." Mikey didn't have to think on that. "That's a sure thing, since thinking's not a strong suite of mine. Or suits period."

Emma burst out laughing, her laughter bringing her head onto Mikey's shoulder. "I hear ya. Not the suits, but… you know, dresses…"

"Yeah." Mikey scarcely breathed, his mind dancing at her soft hair on his skin. _Do I put my arm around her? That's how the guys do it in a Nick Sparks movie. No, that's a horrible example to follow! Nine times outta ten, the couples wind up dead, rejected, or divorced! Go guru…_

"Tell April what you just told me." He wound up saying. Emma stiffened. "She's not half as good at understanding as you are."

He was getting more flushed with every compliment. "She doesn't want to lose a friend anymore then you do."

Emma nudged in closer, wrapping both arms around Mikey's bicep, head staying where it was. _Yes!_

"I hope you know how great you are, Mikey," Emma sighed off the end of her laugh. "You know that, right?"

Mikey grinned. "Like the back of my shell."

He didn't move his arm. They were good where they were.

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

 **And long, dramatic sigh as rose petals float down through a starry night sky... these scenes are the most challenging because you risk them sounding cliche or cheesy. So, in getting one just right, I sigh happily. Did you like?**


	3. Chapter 3

**}{}{{}{One Week Later}{}{}{**

"Hello, this is Wanda Elks of E.T. Extra Magazine. I was hoping to speak to Imogene Tomes…"

April hung the phone up. They were still getting a dozen calls like this a day and Emma wasn't here most of the time to collect on them! She had been splitting her days between their apartment and the clinic. Even though it'd been part of her college hours, they still had rent and the manager had happily hired her back. April assumed that was where she'd been crashing most nights since their disagreement in the lair.

 _"_ _It's close to campus." She had explained over a turkey and cranberry sandwich. "And just… easier until I figure out what to do."_

 _"_ _College will resume in the fall." April had mentioned, pointing out that it was still summer. To which Emma had agreed. "It will. But… so does a marine study program in Orange City, Florida."_

 _Orange City. Florida._

 _"_ _So… you haven't changed your mind." April had averted her eyes to her own chicken wrap. And had listened to Emma take a giant bite, chew, and shallow before answering. "One circumstance has nothing to do with the other. But no, my mind has not been altered."_

Her dialogue always got fancier when she was angry. That, and she always made a point to eat foods that she knew others hated. For April, it had been the cranberries. Ugh, Emma couldn't even bear a grudge like a normal person… and April missed her. Their argument from a week ago was really only a matter of pride now. April had told Thompson that she would cover whatever angles needed for the city's six-month marker, but an interview with her friend was out of the question. She hadn't told Emma as much though, hoping that she'd still level with April on her own. Not that April was sure that anything needed to be leveled out. She just wanted to be sure…. why couldn't she be sure again?

"Hey Donnie." April automated into her phone as it rang the tone of 'Superstitious'. There was a chuckle. "Guess again. Guess more handsome and less green."

April's heart skipped and she smiled, catching it in her bathroom mirror. "Casey, what're you doing with Don's phone?"

"I left mine at the garage." He said sheepishly. "Listen, order drinks without me. I'm helping Don out with some recompense."

"It's reconnaissance." Donnie's groan came out of the background. "I swear, I don't know who's worse, you or Mikey."

"Recon?" April tried not to frown as she checked her mascara. "Again? Honestly, it's been nonstop with you guys."

"Well, we've got one bad guy to locate in a city of millions." Casey said.

More worry. "Casey, I wish you'd leave Oroku Saki to the guys."

"Hey, the Shredder's as much my enemy as he is theirs." Casey's tone went on the defense.

"I know…" April wondered from the bathroom, satisfied with her look for the evening.

"And it feels good to wear the mask again." Casey's smile was undeniable even through the phone.

"I know," April repeated with a sigh. "Your zeal is what worries me. I-" How did she say this? "I don't want you getting hurt."

There was a pause. "Well, what about the guys getting hurt?"

 _How to put this delicately?_ April slipped on her black wedges, hunting for her purse. "Well, they're… you know… coordinated."

There was a muffled laugh, followed by a heavy _thwak!_ April turned, eyes sweeping the living room. Hadn't she just put her purse… ugh, the cab would be here any minute…

"I had more then enough coordination to bring my team two regional medals!" Casey shouted into the phone, but it wasn't aimed at her. Raph's voice answered him. "I didn't know we were counting pee-wee hockey."

"Shut up nimrod!"

"Pus brain!"

 _Great!_ April finally grabbed her purse form beside the sofa. _I've started a brawl._

She headed for the door, only to have it swing open and nearly crush her. Emma whirled inside and slammed it behind her. She leaned on the wood, collected a breath, then caught sight of April. "How… long you know… this Faulk guy?"

That explained her panting red cheeks. April shrugged. "He's not one to accept defeat."

"Ah, birds of a feather." Emma turned her back on the door. "Sleeping at the clinic threw him the first few nights, but I just spent my whole route home dodging that jerk journalist." She smirked then, taking note of April's outfit and make-up. "You have a date, don't you? Why aren't you on your date yet?"

A date? April thought on it; yeah, it probably was. When had that happened?

"Maybe give Faulk five minutes to slink off," Emma warned, shuffling past her. "Then run for your life."

"I called a cab. And Casey's going to be late anyway." April eyed the door. She wasn't afraid of Randy Faulk.

"Why?" Emma already had something in her mouth… she wasn't even to the kitchen yet! And the answer was that Casey was scoping out the Foot Clan with the guys. 'Work' was the answer that April gave Emma. And she hushed the nagging feeling that followed her out the door and down to her cab.

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

The apartment had settled into relative quiet. Though even the smallest settlings of the walls sounded like sonic booms as Emma stared off with the cordless phone on the coffee table. She'd been like this ever since April had left and food had stopped distracting her.

 _"_ _This isn't like training." Mikey had told her. "You can make up any excuse for that, no problem. But not for this… you need to call her, Emma."_

He was right/ Mikey was convincing like that because he kept things so simple. There really wasn't room for argument. Still, Emma let a few more minutes slip by, before picking up the receiver. She inhaled and dialed.

"Hello?"

Emma's breath caught. "Mom."

She had been thinking the word for so long, it sounded weird aloud. "Mom, it's Emma."

"Oh… well then."

That was rather automated. Emma tucked her hair back. "Yeah, so. I'm back in the city and…"

"I'm not living in the city." Her mother said. "I'm living in Millwood; near the prison."

 _Oh._ Emma's stomach dropped with her tone. The next words came rushing at her. "I- I'm sorry. I can't… not right now."

And the line clicked off. Emma blinked, then gave in to her first impulse, redialing. Astonishingly, Mom answered. "Hello?"

"Mom, it's Emma again. I want to-"

Click again. It felt like someone had taken a battering ram to Emma's chest. She let the phone fall into her shoulder, her head dropping. Tears hit her jeans, still staticky with animal hair. She hadn't thought about talking to her mom in weeks… now, it was the only thing she wanted to do. They'd never been good at it, but that wasn't the point. It was about connecting with what family she had left.

Emma let the tears fall for a minute, then sucked in breath. She hit redial and waited for the voicemail to come on. "Mom, you may erase this, but it's here anyway. I got back a week ago. April and I are figuring out… housing. I'll be restarting school in the fall and needed to talk about finances. At some point… I've sent some applications to colleges on the East Coast. I'm still anxious to swim with the dolphins. I guess that's it… love you."

Emma placed the phone back in its cradle. She fell back into the couch and drew her knees up, watching the living room on its side. Mom in Millwood… April and Casey on a date… the guys?... When had this deep loneliness set in?

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"The findings of Kraang are that which is known as confirmed." Kraang turned from the counsel , his face crooked with a gleeful smile. "If the waiting is done, you will be giving Kraang the 'thumbs up' or the 'go ahead'."

Farther into the darkness of the round room, glinting in his full armor, the Shredder- Oroku Saki- nodded. "Your perception of our pop culture amuses me. But yes, as soon as the solution is fully tested let us move forward."

"All that be needed is the DNA." Kraang confirmed.

"Make sure it is flawless." Shredder reminded him.

 **About time the bad guys showed up, am I right!?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll admit, I didn't figure on** **plugging** **so much romance into this story, but I think it helps to raise the emotional stakes as you travel with these characters. Keep hanging in there though, cause this story's about to pack a heavy** **punch** **of action!**

Casey had to pull back because he was forgetting how to breathe. He held April where she was around her waist and his heart soared that she didn't pull away. Rather, she grinned… like the little schoolgirl kind of grin. This was good.

"That was nice, Jones." April tilted her head with her grin.

"Don't be so formal." Casey leaned in again, only to be stopped with a finger to the cheek. "This has been great, Jones. But it's 1 AM and I've got work…"

Casey saw his opening. "Always ready to jump right in, huh?"

"Naw," April laughed, extending the metaphor. "I look before I leap. Unlike some."

He knew she'd say that. "I'll have you know that I'm much more mellow then in previous years. I'm turning over a new leaf."

April held back her laugh. "Oh really?"

"Yep." Casey nodded, moving his hand over hers. "I'm thinking about my next steps… very… carefully."

They both looked down at the ring he had so stealthily slipped onto April's left ring finger. It was the cheap, silver plastic kind with a purple star charm glued to the top. April's eyes went wide. "I'm… confused."

"It's from the general store we visited while at Northampton." Casey explained quickly to change her opinion. "You mentioned twice that it was cute. I about busted the machine because it kept spitting out the wrong one."

He laughed, remembering the looks the cashier had been giving him. April kept staring at her finger, not responding. _Oh no, I'm losing her!_

"I'm not saying that we have to move forward today or even next month," Casey rushed. "But at some point… it would be nice for us to talk about it."

April finally met his eyes. "We're talking now. Is this… is marriage something you're serious about, Casey? Because sometimes it's hard to tell with you."

"So it's something that you picture?" Casey tried to keep his voice down. "With me?"

April licked her lips, eyes darting back and forth on the ground. "You weren't always my first picture."

Casey grasped both her hands, ignoring the hurt. "I'm as surprised as you, April, but… April, you've got this hard-hitting 'thing' about you and you don't need a hockey stick to do it. I feel like I'd be missing out on something if I didn't spend the next 60 years of my life with you. I love you."

She started. "I love you too."

She said it! Why were his knees going weak? Get it together, Jones! Casey took the chance, drawing in and kissing her. Their second one; two in one night, SCORE!

"I'll keep this." April whispered as they broke off, playing with the ring coyly. "And I'll think. A lot."

"Me too." Casey promised. April shrugged, grabbing at the door handle. "Well, stranger things have been known to happen."

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

Her heart was pounding so hard, that April ran up the stairs, all the way to her apartment. She got in and sank against the door panel to gather her thoughts. _Get a grip, it's not like you're engaged! Do you even want to be engaged? I gotta wake up Emma…_

She stopped before she got three feet inside. And not because she hadn't woken Emma up in the middle of the night before. In fact, Emma had done it to her multiple times. And this was prime material for midnight Magnum ice cream bars and classical music playing in the background. It was just… you needed to be on speaking terms with the one you shared the Magnum bars with.

 **}{}{}{}{}{Three Nights Later}{}{}{}{}{**

"I'm so tired of this." Mikey hung himself backwards in his seat in the back of the Battle Shell. "And I'm bored… and I'm hungry… I haven't touched a video game in over two hours…"

"Mikey, shut up!" Don sighed from the front, where he was listening with his headphones. "What happened to the Rubik cube I gave you?"

"It kept changing colors on me." Mikey rolled his head to eye the back of his brother.

"It's supposed to." Donnie shook his head. "I swear…"

"When is Leo gonna realize that this is pointless," Mikey spun the chair back and forth, watching the ceiling swim. Until he was jerked to a stop, making him look up. At Leo.

Mikey sprung out of the chair, putting it between them. "A-And by pointless, I mean… profitable! I was using a double meaning there…"

Leo continued to stare and Mikey wanted to hide in his shell. But he knew it wouldn't have helped. _Comments don't usually get to him though…_

"See." Raph grunted, pulling the door of the Battle Shell closed. "I'm not the only one who sees this as a waste of time."

Ohhhh, that explained it. Mikey's confidence crept back in. "What'd ya do Raph to tick off Fearless here?"

"Nuthin'." Raph barked at him, making Mikey cringe back behind the chair.

"He only sought to announce us to two dozen of the Foot Clan." Leo announced, throwing his binoculars onto the dash. Raph spread his arm out as though the air was his defense. "We could've taken 'em easy."

"We weren't there to 'take' anybody." Leo sighed. "At least we still discovered what the two warehouses were being used for."

"And what would that be?" Donnie inquired while there was still room to distract between the two brothers. Leo stared off with Raph a second longer. "Enough hummers and machine guns to mow down Jersey."

Donne nodded and brought up the map of the city on his big screen. It had been glued together from the foot work that April had done last year; only now they were extending it. It had been updated with the backseat that the Purple Dragons had taken since the return of Shredder and the Kraang invasion. Which had destroyed a few of the 'offices' in Hell's Kitchen and the Bronx, on top of Saks Robotics. Though, apparently, Shredder had his own construction crew to help with that.

"I can't believe the mayor's letting this ride." Donnie typed in the notes on the warehouses. "The majority of these Foot Clan operations… run by Saks Construction, Stockmen Tech, TCRI… red flags, anyone?"

"The Shredder can just say that they're all family owned or partnered companies." Leo shrugged. "He's got an excuse for everything."

"Not so much where these are concerned." Donnie pointed at several tabs that had covered his screen prior to the map. "All the checks I've been running on their permits, their zoning and all… it's all so, clean."

All the brothers' faces twitched. 'Clean' and 'Shredder' didn't belong in the same line of thought. Don spun around, fingers twiddling. "However, I can point out four of the signatures on the permits dating back the last six years, that belong to dead men. Wanna guess how many investigations there have been into that?"

"Ooo." Mikey raised his hand. "Let me guess, I know it!" He pointed to Donnie dramatically. "Nine!"

"Zero." Leo and Raph sighed.

"It's no wonder the Foot Clan don't just vanish." Donnie removed his glasses. "They're so heavily integrated into the city, it's impossible to take them down with just one man's incarceration. And even if we could bag the Shredder, it looks like everything would be bumped down into Karai's control."

"What's her story?" Leo took steps closer to the screen. Donnie pushed his glasses back on, pulling up a buried tab. "Ready for this? Oroku Saki _adopted_ her, after she was abandoned in Tokyo at age eight. She's been at his hip ever since, clothed by him, fed by him…"

"Obviously trained by him." Leo muttered, staring hard at an immigration picture of her. Mikey & Raph shared a look and snickered. "Scared of the new sword's man in town, big bro?"

"Get a life, shell for brains." Leo threw at Raph. "Once we've got the map complete, we can start orchestrating how to break Shredder's empire down. Raph, where would you start?"

"It can't just be a matter of breaking." Raph came up to study the map with them. "More like, burning it to ash, then burying the ashes six feet under."

"Right." Mikey inched away from where he'd been standing. He wished the Foot could just be zapped and done with. It would be quick, efficient, and Raph would still get to see something blow up.

Raph jabbed his finger at the right end of the map, above Long Island. "We know that anything Shredder's into, he's got back-ups, resources. Say we hit the docks first; what's the point of knocking out one shipment when there's three to take its place."

"Like Baxter Stockman replacing Saks." Donnie reminded them. Eric Saks was still on their radar, even from his place behind bars. There was no telling if or when Shredder might want to break his loyal subject out. "Then there's Hun switching back over from the Dragons. And some other guy, Bishop. Seems like his name comes up with all of the out-of-state business."

"Right on the nose, Donnie." Raph snapped his fingers. "That's where we need to start. Starting with the inside out isn't gonna get us anywhere. Anything that's not based in New York, we've got to sever from Shredder first. Resources are always coupled with one's defenses. One dwindles, the other will too."

"So we tighten the noose around Shredder." Leo nodded, seeing Raph's point.

"All the way out to a private penthouse in Tokyo?" Donnie reminded them. "And a private estate out of Okinawa? IN JAPAN!?"

This quieted them all for a moment. Until Mikey snapped his fingers. "I bet Emma could handle that."

Leo, Don, and Raph grew even more quiet then. Mikey nodded eagerly at them. "She speaks the lingo, she has contacts there…."

"Mikey, we can't ask her to do that." Leo stopped him. "If she even agrees to it."

"Why wouldn't she?" Mikey knew that tone… and the hand Leo had placed on his shoulder. "She wants to be a spy, just like I do."

"Uh, yeah." Leo pushed his bandana up, un-clouding his eyes. "But, well, speaking terms are a little stretched right now."

 _Not for me._ Mikey thought. "Well, whose fault is that? Guys, Emma HATES Shredder, she LIKES us! Me a little more of course…"

"Mikey, she's known Saki since she was our age." Raph spat, eyes turning ugly.

"And she was supposed to do something about that?" Donnie mentioned. "She would've been what, fourteen?"

"We're seventeen and we're doing something." Raph beat his chest with a smirk. Donnie rolled his eyes. "That's different and you know it."

"Ok, so what about the Kraang having her blood." Raph looked more pointedly at Leo now. "And let's not forget about her flirting with the Purple Dragons for months on end. There just can't seem to be enough twists and turns with this girl. And Leo, I know you don't like bettin' on something unless it's a sure thing." He glanced at Mikey. "And Emma's not a sure thing."

Mikey glanced down at the annoying Rubik cube. "So… you're saying you wouldn't flirt with anyone for my sake."

Raph looked at him like he'd turned orange. "What?!"

"You wouldn't take a risk for Donnie or Leo?" Mikey gestured to his brothers. "Emma did. The Purple Dragons are the kinda people where one wrong move gets you killed. But she went in anyway to get her bro out."

Mikey was making a good point and Raph knew it. Course, it was only getting him angrier; that, and the questioning of his loyalty to the team. He was up in Mikey's face, shoving him back into the chair. "What it is with you, stupid? How can you side with _her_ and not your own family?"

They were all looking at him; and for once, Mikey didn't care to be the center of attention. "I… just don't think we should write her off."

 _Maybe someone should risk something for Emma for once._ He added to himself.

Leo rubbed his head and tied his bandana back on. "We won't- yet- Mikey. But please try to understand this. We're getting ready to take down Shredder- for good. To do that, we can't afford any liabilities on our part. Not even the smallest, most unintentional ones."

He didn't elaborate on that. Maybe he couldn't. Either way, he and Raph turned back toward Donnie to study the map of the city. The city they were protecting, which was awesome! Mikey had already come up with a few comic book ideas to chronicle their battle against evil.

 _Against evil._ Mikey thought to his brother's shells. _Emma's not evil._


	5. Chapter 5

**}{}{}{}{}{}3 Days Later{}{}{}{}{}{**

The heat of summer had come early and it was sticking to the city as the sun went down, dredging the humidity through the streets and alleyways. Emma noticed the lengthy shadows and the little relief they provided as she stepped out of the front doors of the clinic. It was before nine, yet the air hit her with her first step out. Yes, she knew better then to be stuck there after dark, but- in all honesty- she had nowhere else to be.

Things between her and April had gone from hostile to frigid, numb silence. The same could be said for her continuing failed calls to her mother. Emma had thought of reaching out to Master Splinter a few times, but hadn't wanted to put a bigger wedge in that family then she already had. Plus, if she were to run into Raph and his condescending tone, she'd lose it! _Jerk turtle on steroids thinks he knows me…_

Mikey was her only steady contact at this point. They'd hung out at the water tower a few times, fiddled with his Gameboy, talked. That was it; and that was enough. Emma turned her thoughts to the applications she had sent out to marine science programs along the East Coast- one to Hawaii even. But that was only a sit back and wait job; a biting-your-fingernails-and-licking-a-popsicle wait job.

Well, tonight she would have to do her waiting at the apartment; the clinic lacked decent AC and even in her black sport shorts and coral short sleeve shirt, the heat was inescapable. Besides, April was out with Casey anyway. Emma smiled, zipping up her pack. She had noticed the cheap, adorable ring that April had been wearing outside of office hours. Wedding bells were next! Despite everything, Emma wanted that for them. She messed with her phone, sending her location for a cab to pick her up.

"Thought you'd never come out."

Rather then jump or scream like a normal person, Emma just shut her eyes in frustration. "You never give up, do you."

She looked up at Randy Faulk, slewing up to her on the curb. His glasses shined off of the streetlight, and his clothes were just as rumpled as always. Did the dude own a dryer? Emma put her phone down. "I've given you my answer ten times over. Go away."

Faulk put a hand to his chest. "So rude."

"Fine," Emma plastered a sugar-sweet smile on her face. "Go away. Please."

"Miss Dewitter," Faulk chuckled, holding his hands up; one with a recorder. "Try to understand where I'm coming from…"

 _Where's an ipod when you need one?_ Emma sighed, watching the street. People walked, lingered outside store fronts, and cars honked their way around each other. But no taxi in sight, coming to rescue her. Maybe she should text Mikey.

"…you'd _really_ be helping me out here." Faulk still talked. "Who says that you have to give O'Neil all the juice?"

"There's no juice." Emma told him. "But there will be some fruit punch if you don't leave me alone."

That backed him up. He'd already tasted her fruit punch. Yet, when the taxi showed up three minutes later, he still hadn't left. Emma eyed him before opening the door. "Don't even think about it."

"How do you think I got here?" Faulk spread his arms out. Emma shrugged back. "So get your own."

"What, you afraid I'll find out where you live?" Faulk smirked.

"Fine." Emma swung the door out, so it hit him in the gut. "Man, you're whiney."

"It makes me good at my job." Faulk gasped for breath. Emma nodded to the back of the driver's head as she slid in. "Thanks, you made great time." She rattled off her address as Faulk followed her in. He shut the door and the cabbie took off. Emma caught Faulk texting. "Better be food you're ordering."

"So mistrusting." Faulk put the phone in a chest pocket. Emma watched the passing streets so he couldn't read her face. "My roommate taught me a few things about that."

"Like freedom of the press."

"Can you believe this guy?" Emma looked up into the cab.

The cabbie gave a nod back. "It can be verified as that which is known as unbelieveable."

The computerized tone missed Emma's attention for the first second. Then it registered and she froze. _No self-respecting cabbie talks like that! Only one life form speaks like that; a Kraang-bot!_

What did she do? Had Faulk noticed? Did she want him to notice? He'd probably just ask the alien for a quote. That is, it could just be a lone alien brain, working to make an honest buck. _Yeah right, you know better! You watch all of the Alien movies!_

"Faulk," Emma glanced his way, still processing an escape route. "Do you always… put this much chase into your stories?"

Faulk looked at her with a sly smile. "Only when the subject truly matters."

Ok, strike that! His smile wasn't sly, it was creepy. Emma didn't wait for her brain to draw a conclusion. She threw herself at the door, right as Faulk threw himself at her. The door gave, but the taxi was moving and air whooshed through the back of the cab. Emma grabbed at the air as Faulk clenched her arm. "Idiot! I told you to lock the doors!"

"The button that needs pushing will be pushed by Kraang…"

Too late! Emma kicked and punched with her free hand. The cab jerked to a stop and she half-fell through the door. Her knees scrapped the asphalt as she pushed herself up, abandoning all but her phone. The cab was in the middle lane and the horns and expletives were blaring at her from all directions. Emma waved them off. "Sorry! Life or death here!"

And she ran!

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"I mean, I thought the cabbie made good time and I figured, anything to get away from Faulk…" Emma took a breath. It was only her second one since relaying her story to Leo and his brothers. She sat across from them on a smoke stack, ice pack to her side, as a car had almost hit her in her mad dash to get to the roof Leo had designated. She'd been telling them about the Kraang-controlled cab, Randy Faulk, and her six-block run before clambering up to meet them on top of a corner office building. Where Leo had been listening intently- and suspiciously.

"You poor thing." Mikey was already nuzzling her like he would Klunk.

"And why would the Kraang be after you?" Raph butted in, yanking Mikey off of Emma. "Wanting to be reacquainted?"

Emma glared at him. "Maybe I should talk to your _leader_ on this one. No sense in talking with WOOD."

Raph made himself toe-to-toe with her, but Donnie pulled him back. Leo rubbed at his temple, looking at Emma closely. He thought back on what he had seen of her character and the medical skill she'd been lending to his family, literally since the night they had met her. _And Mikey believes in her. But there's a difference to believing her now._

"You're sure that it was a Kraang?" Leo asked, buying himself time to think.

"I'll swear it on a Bible that's being balanced on your sword." Emma swore, easing the ice pack off. "Leo, I called you guys because I thought it important that you know. If the Kraang are out looking for you, you need to be on high alert."

"That's my point." Leo said. "If they're looking for us, why come after you?... Unless the attack never happened."

Mikey's head jumped up to look at him. "Leo!"

Emma's face froze, then fell. She cupped her forehead in her hand, then drew it back up, eyes slanted. "Why would I make it up?"

"To draw us out." Raph answered for Leo, making it obvious as he analyzed the adjourning rooftops. "Let the Kraang take their shot at us…"

"Or Shredder." Leo added.

"I'd never!" Emma stood up. Mikey pushed himself in between her and Leo, facing him with a look of bewilderment. "Leo, what's making you say that, man? C'mon…"

"Whatever the case, you've been warned." Emma tossed the ice pack at Raph. "I'm done wasting my time here."

"Emma…" Mikey reached for her, flinching when she seethed. "Sorry! But really, let's just talk…"

Emma burned her eyes at Leo now. "Nothing to declare. Sorry, Mikey."

Mikey followed her as far as the edge of the roof. He watched her leave, then spun on Leo, his face as angry as any of them had ever seen it. "WHAT WAS THAT!? Seriously, what was that?!"

Leo looked back at Donnie, who pretended to be navigating through his screens. "Show him, Don."

Donnie gulped, preferring the cyber distraction. "So, after Emma's call I hacked into the street cams for the intersection she mentioned." He motioned them in as the feed of traffic filled up the screen. "I showed them to Leo before we got here."

"When?" Raph demanded.

"When you were chasing down Mikey." Leo said.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "So…"

"Mikey, I rewound it to the approximate time frame that Emma would've exited the cab." Donnie pointed his finger at the screen. Mikey watched the traffic. "Is this like 'Where's Waldo' or something? I'm not seeing anything, you gotta tell me the rules here…"

Raph groaned into his palm. "You're seeing nothing, that's the point jack wad! She made it up."

"She just got the address wrong." Mikey waved his hand through Donnie's screen, shutting it down. "You know how awful Emma is with directions."

True, Emma was a terrible navigator. Still, Leo took his little brother by the shoulders. "Mikey, Donnie checked the feed in front of the clinic too. There was nothing, except Emma leaving as usual. Nothing to collaborate her story. Do you get that?"

"Then why would she call us if it never happened?" Mikey grabbed Leo's shoulders back, staring at him hard. "Leo, the Kraang must've altered the feed somehow. Donnie hacks in all the time, why not them? They can't have their existence splattered all over the video cameras."

Ugh, they were going to get nowhere. Leo sighed. "Mikey. I think it's best if… we… if we let Emma go her own way from now on."

"She plans to attend college out of state anyway." Donnie put in before Mikey could react. "So, it might be easier if we- you, I guess- just cut ties now."

Mikey looked between the two of them like they had lost it. "So, you'll trust her to keep her mouth shut, but not to be our friend? That's real fair."

"What's fair about you risking all our necks for a pair of goggly eyes." Raph butted in, throwing all delicacy out the window. "Go back to flirting with April."

"Dude, I never stopped." Mikey gave a lopsided grin. Raph threw up his hands and walked away. "He's all yours."

"Raph." Don tried to stop him, but the turtle was already sailing off down the street.

Leo shook his head and took the lead again. "Mikey, why do you think we've been spending all those hours in the Battle Shell, watching, listening, poking around for anything that has to do with Oroku Saki and the Foot Clan? We're preparing, arming ourselves. All for an all-out war with Shredder- and quite possibly the Kraang- that there's no turning back from. The war that Master Splinter has been preparing us for all of our lives. We can't afford any mistakes or slip ups here. That's why I think it's best that-"

Mikey backed up. "You've already made the decision without me. Figures."

"That's not-"

Mikey turned from Leo and Donnie, skateboard already out. "I'll catch you guys back at the lair."

Leo looked at Donnie, angry at his own helplessness. Driving Raph away was a weekly event, but Mikey? How could they be expected to enter a battle of any sorts with their team like this? True, they were far from actually making a move. A couple months still, Donnie calculated, though Leo didn't take those numbers to heart. War didn't run by a clock. But when it did start, would they still have this hanging over their heads?


	6. Chapter 6

**}{}{}{The Next Night}{}{}{**

It had taken him forever to think of the right thing to say. That, and Mikey didn't feel right seeing Emma unless he had some sort of gift to give her gorgeous self. In the past, that would've been anything with carbs and sugar attached to it. But food wasn't going to cut it this time. Not for him, thus not for her. With the gift tucked safely in the pocket of his shoulder strap, Mikey blazed from one roof top to the other across the growing night. He was taking a longer route, giving him time to rehearse the speech for when he gave it to Emma. _So, I had this idea about showing you how special you are, Emma. And sometimes my ideas don't, you know, work. Like my rocket-powered helmet, trying to cram 1,000 jelly beans in my mouth…_

Yeah, that'd get her to laugh. Then he'd restate his confidence in the brilliance of this idea, and present her, uh, present to her. Mikey smiled as he soared between two skyscrapers, swung around on a pole bearing the American flag, and let himself free fall. Two seconds, three… Mikey powered up his board and let it surge him the last feet onto a penthouse patio. He cruised by on the railing, grinning, and ollied himself back into space.

Slipping the board back onto his back, he hit the next rooftop running. Every block following that brought him closer to Emma and April's. And it mounted his excitement. He couldn't wait to see her face! This would bag him another peck on the cheek for sure! Soon enough, Mikey caught the girls' fire escape with a rattle and swung himself onto the ledge outside April's window. He needed to skulk around the corner to get to Emma's window, but spotting April, he rapped on the glass. He always had time for Angel Cakes!

"Hey Mikey." April greeted him with that adoring smile, pushing the pane up. "What's up?"

"Had to let you know that you're sexy and you know it." Mikey grinned at her. "And in pumps! Hanging with Case again tonight?"

"No, work." April shrugged in her blue blouse. "Vern and I are covering the benefit dinner for a new wing that was donated to the museum…"

 _Booorring!_ Mikey thought. "Is Emma here?"

April's face lost its smile. "She was here. Left about twenty-minutes ago."

It was in her tone that the two of them still weren't talking. Mikey's mind wandered back to the fight with Leo last night. But even that wasn't going to down his spirits. His gift would make things better, for Emma and everyone!

"You should talk with her when you get back." Mikey mentioned to April. "I'll bet you two have a lot to catch up on. Nail polish, the latest TV break-ups… and guess who'll be there to provide the tissues."

April swatted at his hand. "Mikey, you should come with your own zip code."

"Did Emma say when she'd be back?" Mikey asked, knowing that Emma had been splitting her time between the apartment and the clinic.

"I don't know." April admitted. "She's been… cold since yesterday."

Donnie had filled her in on the latest developments, no doubt. Mikey wished her luck with the coverage and landed himself on their roof. His gift could wait he supposed… no, it couldn't! He _really_ wanted to see Emma's face when he gave it to her. But how to find her face? Mikey's brain tingled with a thought. Donnie had shown him how to use the GPS thingy for cell phones. But that'd be rude… but it was for a good reason!

 _Ok, let's see._ Mikey pulled out his shell cell. Donnie had made one for all of them, even Master Splinter. _Good luck with sensei figuring out how to work it. Now, I enter her phone number and the static electric lines bounce into space, then back down into the shape of a triangle, where Emma will be inside. Well, not literally inside… oh, it's beeping! There's a pretty red dot! The machine must know that Emma's a redhead."_

Mikey checked the city block that the dot hung over. 34th and… what?

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

Mikey made it to 34th Street and began checking down every road and alleyway, peeking in every window that he could manage. The movements up and down the street were the same as any NYC strip of pavement, only shadier. Thanks to all the surveillance and map drawing they'd been doing, Mikey knew that he was smack dab in Purple Dragon territory.

The Purple Dragons had been shoved onto the criminal back burner since last year, but every criminal network managed to maintain an HQ somewhere. The northwest corner of the Bronx was the Purple Dragons'. And this was where Emma's phone was pinging from? Mikey looked around, swallowing down the worry. Maybe, she just got lost. She was a terrible navigator, after all.

 _Then it's my duty to retrieve her._ Mikey dubbed himself the official rescuer of the night. This would make his gift even better! Mikey checked his GPS dot again and followed it to the exact address. Which was a club. He could feel the music before he heard it and smell the drunken laughter before he saw it. The club had space on the roof, making him hunker down on the building behind the club, watching the party-hearters.

Course, Mikey could've strutted through the middle of the crowd and none of the partyers were likely to notice. Most of them were that wasted. But Master Splinter had given him a long talk- and training session- about _shinshito,_ the way of invisibility. So Mikey stayed where he was, biding his time. If this was where Emma and her phone were… how was he going to find her and rescue her? He scanned the roof carefully. There were two redheads, but one was too short and the other was a guy, so…

 _Guess I'll have to wait her out._ Mikey thought with a pout. _Should've brought doughnuts._

But he had spent all his money- and some of Raph's- on Emma's gift. He'd called into the store and had the clerk dude wrap it up and 'mail' to a P.O. box. Only Mikey had intercepted it before it could get there! As for tonight, he had 'casually mentioned' to Donnie that he was piping on the old 39th street run-off tunnel. He usually ignored texts when he did that, so if Leo texted him and he didn't answer, they'd know why.

"And you guys think I'm not smart." Mikey scoffed. Then he straightened, nearly giving away his postion. "They have a slip-n-slide!? Where're they getting the water from?"

Oh, it wasn't water they were using; rather liquor of any kind. And people were sliding through it... Eww! But that was when Mikey spotted Emma. At least, someone who was supposed to be Emma. The black crop top and pinstripe spandex shorts made it hard to tell. Mikey had never seen her dress like that before! _Aw crap, and it's a hot look on her too! Look away, look away!_

But he didn't. He watched Emma resist the tipsy roller coaster. A couple of strong-armed Dragons were egging her on, touching her a little too familiarly. They were drunk… was Emma?

Answers demanded action! Mikey leapt up, spotting the eclectic wires connecting the buildings. He looped his chuck around it and, judging the distance, swung in. For a moment, he hung above the crowd. Then gravity caught up with him, lowering him enough to grab Emma. The two guys harassing her laughed their socks off and Mikey gladly left them behind. He clutched Emma as he swept them out and over the street. Only to almost drop her when they reached the roof on the opposite side of the street.

"Oh!" Mikey exclaimed, picking her up. "Sorry! That worked on the 12th level of Assassin's Creed."

Emma looked up at him, blinking a few times. Then she looked down at her red and scuffed knees. "Ugh… Michelangelo."

"Don't you mean 'Always there to sweep me off my feet' or something like that?" Mikey stepped back. Emma brushed at her shorts. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Mikey said, trying to get a read on her exact mind frame. "I needed to see if you were okay."

"It took you a whole day to come to decide this." Emma observed. Now Mikey noticed the slur; she was drunk! But why? His gift! Now was the time! Mikey smiled, reaching for his shoulder strap. "I'm glad you asked…"

"I didn't. How'd you even find me?" Emma's eyes lifted up, narrowed. "You know, I don't wanna know. Whatever pep talk you've got planned, I don't wanna hear it either. I just want to be alone."

Mikey shook his head. "No, Emma. Being alone's never the answer- except for Raph, but that's more for everyone else's safety. Or, unless there's a secret stash of food or caffeinated beverage involved. _Then_ being alone serves a purpose."

"Huh." Emma looked back at him, completely lost. Boy, was she out of it! Mikey's worry came back. "Emma, you can't be this upset. That's not you."

"And who am I, Michelangelo?"

His full name again. What was going on? Emma turned away, back toward the party, fingers to her temples. "It doesn't matter; it doesn't concern you anymore."

"Sure it does." Mikey stepped up to her side so she could take note of how serious is face was. "You're my friend…"

"Mikey." She turned with the stern voice, eyes strained and sad- and oddly cold. "Don't. Don't choose me over your family. They're the only one you've got; take it from someone who knows."

Ok, the situation just got negative. Mikey needed to reverse this. "That's the what's cool about families. You can always add to them. Like April, like Casey…"

"None of whom are very eager to include me." Emma snapped, crossing her arms.

"Well, they're wrong." Mikey insisted. Again, she lifted those cold eyes to him. "What makes you so sure?"

"Come again, Gorgeous?"

Emma sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Be reasonable here, turtle. It's the middle of the night, this is Purple Dragon turf, and do I look like I'm here against my will?"

Mikey shrugged her words back. "So you're having a bad day. Everyone's entitled to a pity party once in a while."

"No pity party." Emma put her back to him. "Just the start. Consider this me pulling back the veil."

Mikey's jaw dropped. "Emma, what're you talking about?"

"You know how long I hung around these Purple Dragons." Emma boasted, her chin up. "You think it never enticed me. There's a reason some of them remember me so well." She leered at him, intending her words for pain. "But, who cares right?"

"I do." Mikey blurted at her, not sure who he was looking at anymore.

"Do me a favor, Mikey. Stop caring."

 **Didn't see that coming, did cha? Boost my self-esteem and review already!**


	7. Chapter 7

_"Do me a favor, Mikey. Stop caring."_

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

 _She did not say that._ April insisted to herself. The phrase was getting old after three days, having become a mantra when it came to thoughts of Emma. But word had gotten back to her about what Emma had said to Mikey- and then had gone back to the Purple Dragon-infested booze fest!

 _But isn't this what you expected?_ April's guilt asked her. She sprung up off of the couch, where she had meant to rest her eyes, and marched back into Donnie's lab. It was the weekend, so she had come down for a couple days to help the guys out with the groundwork for the Shred-Down, as Mikey had dubbed it. Leo, Raph, Casey, and Mikey were currently out patrolling the city, but she and Donnie had stayed behind to work on their Shredder spider web. It was a pin-up of Shredder's whole empire, from one end of Donnie's wall to the other. Donnie was scanning it as April came up behind him. Master Splinter was beside his son, holding up the tray of tea that he was never without. And lecturing about the break that Donatello needed.

"Something's wrong here." April said it aloud.

"I'm sorry." Donnie threw up his hands from the chaotic board. "I ran out of black yarn and had to substitute with red!"

"No, not that." April waved the web away. "Emma's behavior is bugging me."

"Oh." Donnie settled. Master Splinter turned and they both waited to hear her thoughts. April didn't like the look that Master Splinter was giving her and she fought not to huff. "I mean, this' what we expected of her, right? For her to prove herself untrustworthy or disloyal."

"It would seem." Master Splinter nodded. "But you sound troubled for one who's supposed to be right."

Again, no huffing. "Because, Emma's been labeled with this her whole life. Because of her dad, her brother, everybody assumes she's cut from the same cloth. But she's survived all that; that's who she is. _Why_ would she buckle this time?"

"Hmm." Master Splinter placed the tray down, a hand on his whiskers. Like he hadn't thought about this beforehand. Donnie on the other hand, was tapping his fingers together. "Well April, everyone has a breaking point. And it could have something to do with the fact that we're mutants. Rejection from creatures as well as humans could've been the thing that has Emma thinking 'No one's ever going to see me different'. It's rather ironic, on our end, anyway."

April considered that a moment. "I can't just… I need to do something!"

"Like talking to her." Master Splinter sipped from his cup. "I've heard this method brings good results."

"Are you going to be badgering me about this the entire conversation?" April about stamped her foot at him. Another sip, then Splinter shrugged. "Quite possibly. I am learning that sarcasm is perfected with practice."

"Donnie," April looked back at Donatello, teeth clenched. "Can you look up the number for Emma's mom?"

It was rhetoric of course. April pulled out her phone and Don had the number twenty seconds later. She dialed as Splinter walked past with a satisfied smile. Donnie watched her, intrigued, as April's phone rung.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. De- Tomes." April corrected herself. "This's April O'Neil. I-" _Oh, how to put this?_ "Have you spoken to Emma lately?"

There was a pause. "Any calls she's sent, I put through to voicemail. Nothing of what she does is of consequence to me right now."

"Really?" April started. "I mean…"

"Miss O'Neil," Mrs. Tomes cut in icily. "Do not misread my cold nature, but my husband is in jail and you and my daughter helped to put him there. Relations between Emma and myself shall be our business, but as for you, never call here again."

And _click._

April dropped her phone to her side. "That explains a lot."

"I heard." Donnie dropped his head. "Kinda sounds like, Emma's all alone."

 _Everyone has a breaking point._ April rethought his words.

There was a ruckus that echoed up towards them and the Battle Shell rumbled and hissed into the garage port of the lair. Raph and Casey jumped out of the back, Leo and Mikey from the front. They all looked like they carried ten extra pounds. April stepped out to meet them, only to have Mikey bypass her and straight-shoot for his room. Donnie glanced after him. "He's taking the stairs."

"And he didn't hit on me." April couldn't help feeling dejected somehow.

"My competition's gone soft." Casey muttered, a hand touching the small of her back. April resisted blushing.

"Guys what happened?" Donnie looked up as Raph and Leo joined their circle.

"We were right, he was wrong." Raph leaned on a pipe, arms folded. "Again."

"Raph." Casey sighed, removing his mask and golf bag.

April eyed Leo, gauging his expression. "What's up?"

Leo rubbed his forehead. "We went to see about a rumored meet between Hun, the Purple Dragons, and the Foot. They might've been combining forces… we got eyes and ears in on 'em…"

"Emma was there." Raph cut to the chase.

"Emma was there?" April repeated.

"Like, 'there' there?" Donnie's jaw slacked open.

"Sipping sake with the whole lot." Raph shook his head. "We had to drag the knucklehead back before he gave away our position."

 _Oh Mikey…_ April looked down at the phone still in her hand. She might as well have been holding a stick of rhubarb; that was how weird and surreal this whole business felt.

"I called it from the start." Raph went on. Leo glared at him. "You didn't have to be all in Mikey's face about it though. It's called sensitivity."

"Let's at least be grateful that she wasn't talking about us." Casey added, pushing his hair back.

"Guys, we can't be sure…" Donnie spoke up. "I mean, circumstances put Emma in a pretty dark place, but… she'll bounce back. People like her always do."

They all eyed him in surprise. Donnie gave them a sheepish shrug. "I should've mentioned it sooner, but I don't think Emma's like that. She's too strong-willed to be an underling to anybody, let alone Shredder."

"But she's wild enough to try it." Raph hinted.

"Everybody's always got two paths that they can take." Casey glanced at April. "What'd you think, April?"

April didn't have an answer. Not one that would cheer any of them up anyway.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Raph was awake and he wasn't sure why. With all the late nights that they had been pulling, Master Splinter had become lenient in letting them sleep in. But it wasn't yet 7am and and Raph rolled down off his bunk. _This is bogus, but might as well as lift some weights._

Their rooms broke off into different chambers above what they had dubbed the living room- and the dining room- and Epic Water Slide Room. Raph vaulted out of his now, watched his home spin from ceiling to floor and landed on the railing beside the rushing channel of water. He hopped over it and somersaulted up to his favorite ripped and taped bag. He threw the first punch and the bag threw the weight back at him, like an actual attacker would. Better simulation, as Donnie would say.

Raph was all set to throw the second reverse punch, when the sight in his right peripheral stopped him. It was Mikey. Doing push ups?... In front of a pizza box, propped on the edge of Master Splinter's meditation circle.

 _Am I still sleeping?_ Raph thought to slap himself. _No. There's no pink cockroaches scuttling around._

"Mikey?" Raph stepped over to get a better look at his brother huffing away. "What're you…"

"Emma…" Mikey breathed out as he leveled up. "And I… made a bet… most push-ups.. before… eat… pizza." He picked up his pace. "57… 58…"

Raph stared at him for three more push ups. Then Mikey filled the silence again. "I'm… setting… the bar. She… won't… beat… me…"

"Gimme a break." Raph grabbed the pizza box, intent on pitching it.

"Hey!" Mikey fumbled on his last push up and jumped to his feet.

"What is wrong with you, huh?" Raph spat, beginning to turn.

"Put that back!" Mikey leaned forward to catch his breath. "Now I lost my number. Then again, I've only ever seen Emma do 20-"

"Mikey," Raph shook his head at him. "Trust me, Emma's not gonna care. She's with Shredder now! Or the Purple Dragons or whoever, but obviously she's not on our side anymore. Or are you forgetting the brush off she gave you the other night? And the drinking buddies she was getting cozy with last night?"

Mikey eyed him a second before protesting. "She's angry, Raph. But once she's over it, I wanna be ready to rub this pizza in her face. Well, not literally, but… though that would be kinda cute."

"I'm two seconds away from rubbing this pie in _your_ face." Raph warned him. "Bro, you've gotta let this go."

Mikey snickered. "That rythmed."

"Idiot!" Raph finally exploded, batting him aside his bald green head. "Start facing facts, would'cha! Emma's made her choice and you need to move on."

Mikey glared, holding his head. "Give me my pizza."

"No." Raph told him; more out of principle then anything else.

"Raph." Mikey made a sudden jump. "Gimmie!"

"Not until-" Raph didn't get to finish because Mikey was swooping down, knocking Raph's feet clean off the floor. Raph watched the ceiling for a second before rebounding. Mikey had his hands on the box, but Raph's swift kick in the plastron sent Mikey back and the box above them both. The brothers leapt for it; Raph punched, Mikey blocked, each cussing the other out. Then Mikey had the box again. Only to have Raph twist his free arm behind his shell.

"Give it up, little bro." Raph hissed at him through his smirk.

Mikey's response was a quick snap back, sending his skull into Raph's nose. The scent of blood let Raph know that he broke the cartilage and he let go of Mikey's arm in shock. He touched the moist opening of his nose, staring agape at Mikey. His annoyance was gone, and there was anger.

"Why?" Mikey demanded, squeezing the pizza box. "Why can't you and Leo just give Emma a chance?"

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Why're you so hung up on this chick? Answer me that."

Mikey didn't.

"April's family," Raph said, wiping the blood away. "And if Casey and her are gonna hook up, that'll make him family too. But Emma? There must be some special reason for you to be naïve enough…"

Mikey spun the pizza box at him then. Raph barely caught it

"Maybe it's because Emma doesn't see me as naïve." Mikey clenched his fists. "She doesn't see me as dumb either. Or bone-headed, or any of the millions of other comments I take from you guys everyday. Have you ever heard her say it, even once?"

Raph's mind went back. _Well, now that he mentions it…_

"I get that I'm not smart." Mikey sighed, some of the tension releasing. "I'm cool with that, really. I'm a goofball, you're a hothead, Donnie's a techno geek, and Leo needs to take a chill pill. But Emma doesn't hold it against me, or think less of me because I'm a little slow."

 _A little?_ Raph continued to stare at Mikey, speechless. "That… Mikey, we don't think that! What're you a-"

He halted the term 'moron', but Mikey got the picture. "Call me names all you want, I don't care. That's just part of family. But you all act like I'm lacking something. Emma doesn't."

Raph snorted through the blood still coming from his nostrils. Why was he studying his feet? Why feel ashamed about something he hadn't had a clue about?

 _"_ _Never look down on your brother's sensitivity." Master Splinter had scolded him some years ago, when a sparring match had gotten out of hand. "It heightens him to aspects of an enemy you, Leonardo, or Donatello would not think of. His open heart could very well be the key to victory in a great battle. Just as your brute strength will prove invaluable at times."_

This was beside the point! Still…

"I…" Raph swallowed the crawling nausea that apologizing always gave him. "I'm sorry if I take it too far sometimes. I don't always mean it. But, Mikey, don't cha ever think that Emma's been playing you this whole time."

"She wasn't." Mikey didn't even blink.

Raph couldn't guess what went on in Mikey's head, beneath the layers of pizza and video game victories. But he could draw a pretty easy conclusion. Pretty girl, pretty eyes, pretty smile and a pretty laugh at Mikey's bad jokes and impressions. All Raph saw though, was a girl whose family had had ties with Shredder for years, and who had played along with the Purple Dragons. And even after almost two years, those ties kept coming back up. And they were just supposed to place blind trust in Emma, in spite of all that? No thanks.

Raph turned away from Mikey before he mentioned. "We can't all be as trusting as you, Mikey."

Mikey's feet shuffled. "Couldn't hurt you to try, could it?"

As long as Shredder was involved, it could.

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

April thought he didn't know about it, but he did. The spare key was kept behind a loose corner of molding around the door. She wouldn't mind… they were meeting here after her work anyway. Vern would be dropping her off soon and she'd open her door to find…

"Oh, Emma." Casey paused, one foot through the threshold. The redhead looked up from the magazine she'd been reading on the couch. He hadn't seen her since spotting her at that warehouse, one hand on a bottle of sake and the other around the shoulders of an upper-level Purple Dragon. And there was that expression again… a coolness and was, frankly, too cool to be believed. The exact opposite of Casey as he stepped farther in. "What're you doing here?"

"Upholding my end of the lease?" Emma cocked her head and stood. Casey looked away at the plunging mint green V-neck she was wearing. Since when did she expose so much? _Boy, it didn't take much to peel back the layers._

"Would've thought April had kicked you out." Casey stated, deciding to leave the door open. If he kicked her out, it'd win him some points with April; show her that he could take care of things.

"Excuse me." Emma laid the magazine down, not much denial in her voice. Casey was close to fuming. "How was the sake?"

Emma's eyes widened ever-so-slightly; then she licked her bottom lip. "Smooth as silk."

"Get out." Casey stepped aside, pointing out into the hall. "And for April's sake, don't come back."

Emma made no move to leave; fine, Casey would carry her out and dump her down the front steps!

"You must be serious about marrying her if you're already trying to control her life." Emma quirked a brow at him. Casey's head about snapped back. "Well now I'm sorry that I ever mentioned it to you."

"Don't be sorry," Emma walked up, grabbing her jean jacket off the hallway hooks. "Heaven forbid somebody be sorry for me."

 _Even her sarcasm doesn't sound the same._ Casey thought sadly. _This sucks._

"If I may offer some advise though," Emma stopped as she was about to pass Casey. "I wouldn't tie myself down so quickly. And not to someone who'd stifle your fun and obviously has trust issues."

"That's one biased opinion." Casey told her, edging closer to the wall. "Bye."

Emma came in closer. "That any way to send a girl off?"

 _Huh?_ Casey backed up again… only there was nowhere to back up to. "Well what do you su-"

Emma's lips didn't let him finish.

 **WHEW! Did that chapter pack a punch or what? Seriously, let me know because I'm paranoid about my ability to juggle various viewpoints!**


	8. Chapter 8

Something was bugging Raph.

Not the usual, shell-in-a-knot type of bugging. During those bugs Raph would grunt and rant and punch things. When he was stewing and not ranting, that was a problem. But Donnie didn't dare ask. He just watched the hothead sail over the New York rooftops, several yards ahead of the rest. Right now, they were heading back to the docks, where they had scouted out the warehouses last night. Donnie needed to hack into the shipping logs. He shouldn't have been surprised that they couldn't be hacked remotely. This was Shredder's commodities they were talking about. With the information of manifests Donnie planned to collect, he and his brothers would be able to determine a portion of the trading ports that Shredder held. He hadn't discovered anything to suggest any other countries then Japan, but better safe then sorry. Then, maybe, they'd be able to start tipping the pyramid, putting New York City back into the hands of New York City.

 _I gotta get myself a wittier banter._ Donnie sighed to himself, swan-diving off a high roof onto a lower one. He rolled, side-stepped a web of TV antennae, and front-flipped over the chimney. _But at least my footwork's still got it!_

He managed enough to pass Leo and was the second to arrive on the cargo yard. He skidded to a stop alongside Raph, blowing out his exhilaration in the _futae-ibuki_ style; a ninja's special breath. Master Splinter had drilled it into them when they were first anxious to go up-top. Donnie crouched down beside Raph, his breathing slowing, adjusting to the abrupt halt in speed. "What'd you make of it?"

Raph lowered his night vision spectacles. "Eight guards, rotating the perimeter. The containers are more guarded then the warehouse."

"Perfect." Donnie nodded.

"Makes you wonder what's so special inside those containers." Raph muttered, staring down on the enemy. Maybe a little too intently… his taught muscles were begging to be let loose. Donnie touched his shoulder. "Let's just save the surprise for another day."

"Surprise!" Mikey barreled into Donnie's back. Donnie responded with a mild zap in front of his brother's face.

"Alright, Donatello." Leo hunkered down beside them; the silent entrance as always. "You and Mikey got twenty minutes; go!"

They went dark then. No comms, no talking (especially Mikey) as Don and Mikey lighted across the cargo yard, wielding their hefty shells from one shadow to the other, making it to the skylight of the warehouse. April had visited city hall yesterday, so Donnie knew to find the main office in the southwest corner. Avoiding guards and security cameras made it feel like a game of hopscotch, but they made it and Mikey picked the lock. He was faster at it then any of them and other then pizza-cramming, was considered his secret weapon.

"Don't touch a thing." Donnie whispered to Mikey. He was blinded by a beam of light and scrambled to cover it up. "And no flashlights! Sheesh, Mikey."

"Nobody sees, nobody knows, got it." Mikey a-oked him as they stood and waited for their eyes to readjust. "I knew that."

"Sure." Donnie evaluated the office space through the night vision specs. He made quick note of the desk, its computer, and neighboring file cabinets. "Just watch the hallway."

"You know, this could go a lot faster if you did let me touch something." Mikey suggested.

" _Just_ watch the door." Donnie stressed this instruction. Luckily, he didn't have to go about turning the computer on. He had modified a flash drive that could sneak through sleeping networks, bypass security programs, and copy all files available the second it was plugged in. He had only made two of them, and once those were emptied into his database, they'd likely have to go out and do this again. Basically, Leo wanted them to know what Shredder was going to do before he did. It was a very FBI objective; and Donnie loved it!

"Guard." Mikey warned and they hunkered down. A light slipped by and Donnie moved on to the file cabinets while the flash drive did its thing. "All of these papers… information from ten years ago… it'd be pointless to look through all these drawers."

"Leo'll murder us if we don't." Mikey teased.

Donnie shoved a drawer shut. "Well, Leo doesn't have an IQ of 198."

"I though it was higher. You disappoint me, Donatello."

"Shut up, Mikey."

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"Thanks Vern," April waved at the cameraman, already out the door. "Temperatures are gonna go down next week. I'll ride my bike then, I promise."

"Just like you've promised to not ask Thompson for more hard-hitting stories." Vern cocked his head at her knowingly. "But hey, you're probably the only reason I'm earning a pay check, so…"

April laughed. "G'night, Vern."

She checked her watch again as she bolted into the apartment building and into the elevator. Knowing Casey, she had at least ten minutes of tardiness to spruce herself up a little before he came over. He'd been unable to go Foot-hunting with the guys tonight; he claimed because it was so he could spend more time with her. The fluttering in her heart decided to go with that. She made it out of the groaning steel chamber and dashed down the hall. Only to skid when she spotted the door wide open. _Oh no… does that mean Emma's in there? I am so not in the mood to deal with that._

She put on a brave face before stepping around the jaw dropped at the passionate lip lock Emma was in the midst of giving Casey. _Ok, maybe I am in the mood to deal with it!_

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"You wanna share with the class?" Leo nudged at Raph as they observed the Foot guards below doing their thing. Raph grunted. "What?"

"Whatever's bugging you." Leo watched him carefully. "You've been in a mood all day."

"I'm always in a mood." Raph continued watching the yard.

Leo shrugged. "There're moods and then… there're moods."

They dropped into silence for a moment. Leo hoped that Raph would offer an explanation. His brother was dangerous when he let things fester. And he needed his team in top shape to take down the Shredder. Once they did that, then maybe he could get through a week without a fitful sleep or two.

"This Emma chick's got me mad." Raph finally hissed. "She's causing Mikey grief."

"We can't do much more then talk with him." Leo sighed. "Anything else, he's gonna have to learn for himself."

"And if she tries to kill him in the process?" Raph hissed a little louder, still watching the Foot.

"You're not really helping the process either." Leo glared.

"What's that sup-"

"Don't forget that this's the same Emma who's been dressing our wounds for over a year. She didn't have to, but she did."

"Still didn't make you hesitate to kick her out." Raph narrowed his eyes at Leo.

"We did what was practical." Leo said after a pause. "And… I wanted to see what she would do."

That got Raph to look at him. "What?"

"I wanted all doubts to be removed from this situation." Leo told him. "As I saw it, the only way to do that was to cut Emma loose and witness for myself what her true colors were. If she went to the Shredder or the Purple Dragons, alright then; at least we would know. If not…"

"You were _testing_ her!?" Raph grabbed Leo's shoulder. "And you didn't tell me about it?"

"I didn't tell you because you're a terrible actor and she would've seen right through it." Leo told him bluntly. If it would make Raph feel better, he'd tell him that he didn't tell the others… only Master Splinter had known.

However, Leo's shell cell vibrated, ending the conversation. Raph turned back, spying his younger brothers' shadows shifting back towards them. He half-wished that one of the so-called guards would notice them. Get a little action up in here…

"WHAT!?" Leo voice boomed out over the yard, hitting and skipping as far as the harbor, if not beyond. Everything froze… except for Mikey hitting into the back of Donnie, causing Donnie to slip and slide over the edge of one of the containers. Raph jumped up, sais out. "Seriously? What the heck, Fearless?"

Leo was up, swords singing out of their sheaths. "Make it quick. We need to get to April's."

 **You remember what's happening at April's... right?**


	9. Chapter 9

"DON'T walk away from me!" April hissed, charging down the stairs after a cool-headed Emma. Her red hair was loose and swaying confidently across her back. April would love nothing more then to yank them right out of their roots. She had had it! Barely two flights down from their apartment and April grabbed Emma's shoulder and spun her. "WHAT WAS THAT!? I'm not going to presume to meddle in any of your personal crap Emma, but you just kissed MY boyfriend! Making it my crap-"

"Hey!" Casey was finally reaching them.

"Explain yourself now!" April demanded, digging her grip into Emma's arm. _She's not leaving until she does!_

"Explain." Emma repeated the word, like she'd never heard it before. She cast a glance over April's head at Casey, like she needed to think about it. "Oh, that. I'm curious Casey, what would you rate it as?"

"Huh?" Casey gapped in a shocked, dry voice.

April proved the more shocking as she shoved Emma down the last two steps, backing her onto the landing between flights. She couldn't speak, she was so mad!

"Well," Emma massaged her back from its impact against the wall. "If we're putting a term to it, I believe it could be referred to as a proposition. What Casey does with it, that's up to him. What April, you scared of his choice?"

April stepped closer, trying to get a read on this- this person before her. " _What_ is with you, Emma."

It wasn't a question now, only a bewilderment. Either way, Emma didn't offer an response. Only a shrug and a sultry turn from April and back down the stairs. April gathered in two breaths before going after her. She felt more then saw Casey following behind her. "April, please don't think…"

"I'll let you know what I think in two minutes." April warned him back, catching up to Emma yet again, just before she had reached the front doors. "I can understand you being upset with us, Emma. But I've had it with this attitude."

"Had it?" Emma pushed the door open with her shoulder. "You wanna talk about having it…"

They didn't talk so much as fly. How the turtles had gotten there with the docks so fast, it amazed April. Leo swooped her up right behind Emma and April let the air rush over her heated skin, all the way onto the roof of the building. Raph followed with Casey, but dropped him instantly to stalk over to Emma. "You."

He was showing her the business end of his sai, but Emma only knocked it out of her face. Her eyes stayed with April like the seven-foot-turtle didn't exist. "Maybe I've had it with a roommate that automatically steals mens' attention from me. Maybe I'm over her high-n-mighty attitude just because she has a microphone and a cameraman."

 _What?_ April stared, now completely dumbfounded. _When has that ever bugged her?_

The turtles had come to form a circle around Emma now, the four of them, April and Casey, all looking at her. Leo was the first to come forward, staring her down. She stared back, chin high.

"I wanted to be wrong." Leo told her. "I was giving you a chance to show us that you could be trusted, Emma."

"Say what?" Mikey looked at his brother.

Raph sniffed, unsurprised. "Guess we were right."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him in malice. "Guess you were."

April looked beyond them, seeing Mikey shift, watching Emma. His face- it looked shattered.

"If that's what you chose then." Leo backed up, freeing up a path. "But know this; you come after us and we _will_ come after you. Without mercy."

April felt Casey beside her, his intake of breath matching hers. Emma's mouth rose in a smirk, her shoulders in a shrug. "Wouldn't be much fun if you did."

"Emma…" Mikey squeaked out. His tone reinforced everybody's rising anger. Raph made a gap in their circle, bulking himself up behind Emma. "Time for you to go. And give your new buddies the same message."

"They love a challenge." Emma walked past Leo. But Mikey broke out, reaching for her. "But Emma…"

Emma turned and slapped his hand away. "Don't be dumb, Mikey. Get over it."

She might as well have slapped him in the face. Donnie held Raph back from smashing Emma's skull in as she stalked off. She was nearly to the edge of the roof when Mikey suddenly flew forward. He hopped around Emma and blocked her way out. His broken expression had suddenly steeled, matching her soulless gaze. "Uh, what now-"

"What's your favorite TV show ever made?" Mikey demanded.

 _What?_ April looked at Casey. They all waited for Emma's answer, which she took her time in giving. "I- You know I have them divided by decade, Mikey."

"80s." Donnie piped up.

"Dukes of Hazzard."

Mikey's hands went to his hips. "If you could make a snow angel in any food, what would it be?"

Emma huffed. "French fries."

"French fries, what?" Mikey was almost shouting her face. April glanced at Donnie now, hoping to find an explanation from him.

"What'd you mean 'what'?" Emma looked at him begrudgingly. "Get out of my-"

"French fries melted in Colby cheese, apple wood bacon, and those fake green onion rings." Mikey raised a fist. He was shaking now. "Which marine animal do you want to be? Why are you afraid of rabbits and marbles? And how did you describe me the first night that we met?!"

"I don't have time for this." Emma's eyes had slanted on Mikey. Mikey's slanted back at her, fierce and on fire. "You're not Emma."

All heads whipped in Emma's direction, like they'd missed something. April wanted to reach out for it because it seemed the only explanation. How had Mikey…?

"Really?" Emma measured him up for a moment. Then in a whirl of motion, she twisted and cracked Mikey's jaw with her heel. He staggered, giving Emma room to leap to the left. Raph bolted for her, but Emma turned and caught his sai. It was like she had grown eyes in the back of her head!

"Finally," Emma relished as she sprung to Raph's eye level and pelted him a hard one. "Been wanting to do that for awhile."

 _This isn't happening._ April thought. _How can this not be Emma? If it's not, then what's been living in my apartment for the past week?_

Raph fell back from Emma's punch, rocking back on his shell. Leo and Donnie had their weapons out, yet they seemed unsure how to proceed. Emma recognized this and turned once more. "Later, freaks."

Right there was when April pushed herself forward. "No."

She didn't declare it to anyone in particular; she had tunnel-vision and it got her to Emma before she had reached the edge of the roof. April reached out and had Emma's neck, just above the collar bone. She squeezed. The body that was Emma- until anything else could be proven- stiffened, then fell backward, slack. She would've fallen right on top of April, if April didn't side-stepped.

"Wh-" Donnie's mouth croaked. "What just happened here?"

"Mikey, what were you thinking?" Raph grunted as Mikey helped him up.

"That was the Himilayan Gu Xing Pinch." Leo marveled, eyeing April. "When did Master Splinter teach you that?"

"Last month." April breathed out over Emma's prone form. "Never thought I'd need to use it."

 **At this point, if you have more questions then answers, then I'm doing my job right. If not... at least I had fun writing this scene.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Are you still able to breath?**

Mikey paced, uncertain and uncomfortable, sneaking glances with every tight, anxious turn that he made. He was eyeing the chair that Raph and Leo had chained the fake Emma to after they had carried her limp form down to their lair. Donnie was hovering over his lab equipment, attempting to analyze the hair strand and the saliva that he'd taken off of her. Mikey did some analyzing of his own, with every look towards Fake Emma. He needed to think up a name, so he wouldn't be confused when they got the real Emma back.

 _Her Evilness?_ Mikey threw out to himself. _No, imposter… Impostress! Yes, that's it!_

With a name, Mikey took his first real look at Impostress. He came a few feet closer then before. Her shape, her hair, eyes- though closed- her freckles, and even the way her head fell in unconsciousness. It was identical to Emma's, all except for her attitude! Now, who had pulled this stunt and why? Why Emma?

As though hearing the question, Impostress' eyes snapped open.

"Epp!" Mikey leapt back from the chair, stirring Leo and the rest over. "What?"

"She's up." Mikey announced. "Impostress, she's awake."

"Impostress?" Casey was the only one to notice this.

"Brilliant observation, genius." Impostress adjusted herself, making the chain rattle. She sniffed at them, then stared icily at Mikey. "I'll admit, you surprised me, figuring it out. The changes were abrupt, but I counted on the shock covering any discrepancies."

"Well looks like all manner of pretense has been dropped." Leo folded his arms, eyeing her hard. Gone was the brother, and the fearless leader of steel was front and center. Impostress recognized this, but looked past him, at Mikey. "How'd you know?"

"Handsome intuition." Mikey jutted his chin at her. "Just like the rest of me."

Impostress gave a cold laugh. "Don't flatter yourself, reptile."

"Emma doesn't call him dumb." Raph spoke up, being the only one within two feet of the chair. He hadn't sheathed his sai since they had gotten back and he now pointed one at Impostress's forehead. "You owe us an explanation; start talking."

"You know you don't scare the real Emma." Impostress smirked up at the blade threatening her stolen skin. "You believe I'd have a weaker reaction?"

"How do you know anything about Emma?" April demanded.

"I do my homework." Impostress rustled her chains, then relaxed back into the chair. "It's not too hard with that girl. True, she has many layers, but she goes around wearing her truest colors on her sleeve. Thus a quick study."

"A quick study for what?" Raph brought his voice low, along with his sai. Impostress gave a crooked smile. "That would be telling wouldn't it."

Raph made a clean swipe that slit her left cheek. The group started, April gripping Casey's arm. Mikey thought to close his eyes; he didn't want to see this. But there was no need. No blood flowed from the cut. Rather, Raph's cut barely linger on her skin. There was a faint glow within the cut as the edges of the skin pulled in to find one another. They attached and any trace of injury vanished.

"What the…" Casey barely breathed, hockey stick at the ready.

"Care to try again." Impostress continued to smile. Then she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Then she came forward. Or rather, her skin did. It pushed itself over, through the chains holding her wrists, arm, and ankles. Mikey was the only one who didn't fall back from her, he was so fixated. She came 'sliding' through the chains until she was able to stand up, free of the chair completely.

Casey now had April fully shielded behind him. "What was that?"

Impostress stretched her arms above her head. "Might not be as impressive as walking through walls, but it gets the job done."

"Your… flesh," Leo observed. "It glowed."

"We've seen that glow before." Raph added, keeping his distance for once.

Impostress clapped. "Brilliant, Captain Obvious. Tell me more."

Then she moved, as though to leave! Mikey grabbed her shoulder, hard. "Where's Emma!?"

"Ah, yes," Impostress looked at his hand, then his face. "The intriguing one."

Mikey didn't see red so much as bursting fireworks in front of his eyes. He was suddenly driving her back by the throat, until he had Impostress slammed into the brick wall. "Where. Is. EMMA!?"

She looked shocked, then impressed. Then impatient. "She's where she wants to be. She asked for this."

"Like I'm gonna believe you."

"Maybe you believe too easily." Impostress hissed. "Like believing you caught me."

Her legs came up then, wrapping and squeezing around Mikey's arm. She jerked and Mikey felt his elbow turn, exploding in pain. He dropped back and Impostress was sailing over him with impressive dexterity. She caught the pipe overhead and swung herself up and over the railings onto the catwalk that ran above the living space. Leo went after her, Raph cupping his hands to give him a boost. Impostress was running and Mikey joined Casey in following her below. Mikey never took his eyes off of her, chest tight. _Where's Emma? How could I even think…_

Casey broke off onto the water bridge and tossed a puck. Seriously, where did he keep them? He swung his hockey stick and sent the puck spinning. It hit Impostress in the back, but she caught herself to keep from stumbling. It was enough to get boxed in by Leo from the back and Master Splinter from the front. Sensei hissed at her. "Had I encountered you earlier, I would've detected it. Your cheap scent is hardly that of a human, let alone Miss Dewitter."

Impostress' eyes flitted both ways, searching for an escape. "Forgive the lack of authenticity, rodent. I am but the prototype."

"Prototype for what?" April yelled up, expression just as shocked and drained as Mikey's. "What are you?"

"Hey guys!" Donnie flew in, his goggles still on. Was he just now joining the party? Typical geek, tunnel vision whenever he entered his lab. Donnie lifted his goggles and replaced his glasses over his nose. "You're not going to believe…"

Impostress moved to jump the railing. But Master Splinter was on her, tail whipping her back, pinning her down by the neck. "Donatello!"

How he knew that Donnie knew what to do must have been a parent thing. But Donnie rushed up so he was underneath the catwalk. He readied his bo, shot it up beneath Impostress, and clicked. The end jolted Impostress with bright blue currents; so much so that she glowed! The shock ended after five long seconds and Impostress lay still. Everyone hesitated, then they all eyed Donnie.

"Her nerve endings are several times more sensitive to compensate for the lack of any skeletal structure…" Donnie said, partly to himself. "It would make sense if they borrowed from their own biology. But how they managed to fuse the cells…"

"Short version!" Raph growled. "I'm missing something here and it's ticking me off!"

"And yelling helps!" Casey shouted, pointing up at Impostress and Master Splinter. April's hand went to her hip. "Kind of like you're doing?"

Casey turned to look at her, eyes wild. "Oh, I'm sorry for freaking out over some crazy ghost chick who can pass through solid objects."

"After an alien invasion, _that's_ what gets to you?" April scoffed. "Or are you freaked because her kiss tasted good for a ghost."

Casey went red. Mikey's chest fell. "What kiss!?"

"Oh, she can do that because she has no bones." Donnie butted in simply.

"Not the kiss, the other thing stupid!" Raph seethed.

"SILENCE!" Master Splinter's voice boomed over them all. "Donatello. Explain this, please."

"Ok, yeah, so I analyzed her DNA," Donnie lifted his glasses. "Which is definitely Emma's, only mixed with other chemicals… that's why they needed her; kind of like a blueprint for a building. They needed something to go off of."

"Who, Donnie?" Leo pressed him on.

"The Kraang." Donnie stated ominously. "The chemical structure outside of Emma's DNA is unmistakably that of the mutagen. If I'm reading this right, her composition is a modified nervous system of their species. But all the rest… she's… a _living_ form of mutagen."

"Ewwww!" Mikey stared back at Casey, wide-eyed. "You kissed space slime!"

" _She kissed me!"_ Casey cried, neck veins throbbing. "And it was only lip to lip, nothing more!"

"Not from the angle I was watching." April warned him. Casey shook his head at her. "April, you're too smart to even think…"

"Is this true?" Master Splinter turned their attention back to Impostress. "Were you created from the mutagen at the hand of the Kraang?"

"Created is a strong word." Impostress gritted through his grip on her neck. "Assimilated might be better."

"You used Emma's DNA to do that," Mikey look up at her through the grate of the catwalk. "But her memories… how'd you get her memories?"

Impostress sighed, annoyed. "If you must know, she gave them to me."

Raph coughed a laugh. "Figures."

"You're lying." Mikey shook his head.

"What makes you think that, Michelangelo?" Impostress drew out his name. "Her approach was easy enough; we already had her blood on file, of course. And her father had already built a rapport for her with the Kraang, through Oruko Saki. What makes you think she wasn't a willing party to this?"

"Because she's not!" Mikey stamped his foot, as though he were five again. "Emma knows this' no time to party! You save it for Saturday and Tuesday nights."

"Unbelievable." She raised her head from the grate… only to receive another shook from Donnie below. "There are come components that I don't recognize. Your body shouldn't be able to sustain the cells your chromosomes keep producing. Not with the levels of nitrogen."

"You… haven't figured it out?" Impostress seethed through her pain.

Leo came to stand over her. "The Kraang made you; why do they need a duplicate of Emma? What's your mission?"

"The general finally enters the conversation." Impostress weakly saluted. "But the reasons are irrelevant now; for Emma, at least."

Mikey felt bile in this throat. _She's not saying…_

"As for the mission…" Impostress started glowing again, until the same blue currents zapped from her, contracting around Leo and Master Splinter. They both fell back and Impostress was up, soaring over the railing and vanishing up the water slide tube, out of the lair. The guys went after her, but she proved light on her feet, losing them at the first block out of the lair. Mikey's legs begged to be unleashed after her, but Donnie ordered them to regroup at the lair. And around a very ticked off sensei rat.

"That wretched vixen!" Master Splinter struggled to his feet with April's aide. "I will cut her and her nerve endings to ribbons!"

"Master Splinter, don't strain yourself." April looked over him worriedly. Raph had already helped Leo up, who was trying to shake the shock off. "We've gotta find that duplicate."

"Impostress." Mikey reminded him. Leo glared at him, only to sigh. "Fine, Impostress. I guess it's obvious that the Kraang made her and whatever it's for, it's not good."

"How can we be sure that she's our only problem." Raph mentioned.

"Like we ever have just one." Casey muttered, leaning on his hockey stick.

"She called herself the prototype." Donnie recalled hopefully. "The same thing as a test run…" The light bulb of geek went off over his head. "That could explain why she had certain memories of Emma's, but not others…"

"What?" April asked for the group. "She made it sound like… Emma was dead."

Mikey's mouth dried and he focused on Donnie shaking his head fiercely. "From a scientist's standpoint, that would be too risky. Think of the double like a download, where Emma's the computer…"

He rubbed his chin, beginning his pacing. "Her surface mannerisms and behaviors are adapted first and the more complete the download, the more Impostress acts and thinks like her host. Only, you need to keep the computer plugged in for the download to complete itself."

A cold analogy, but it gave Mikey hope. "So Emma's still alive!" But then his face paled. "Uh, what about when the download's done, Donnie?"

Donnie looked at everyone else, but at Mikey. "We… we have plenty of time before that."

 _And by that you mean the exact opposite._ Mikey gulped. He did the quickest math he had ever done; it had been nearly six days since Emma's bizarre behavior change. How much more time did evil aliens need?

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

 _251… 252… 253…_

Again, her chest burned, reaching its limit. And again, she raised her head. Her forehead felt the cool glass and her nostrils, the cold air. She could've cried at the precious flow of oxygen. It agonized her brain, her lungs. _Don't leave,_ they begged. _Stay. Give us life!_

And she stayed, for as long as she could. The cold temperatures were meant for preservation, an ironic measure to her prison. Outside of that, there was no scent, no color to this noiseless existence. She held her nose and lips above the bare line, careful that it didn't get in her mouth again. No scent, terrible taste. She kept her head risen, until she felt the muscles beginning to cramp, the pressure to her head increase. With a moan, she dropped back under.

 _1… 2… 3…_


	11. Chapter 11

Casey took the lead, pounding on the door of Randy Faulk's Brooklyn apartment. It wasn't really evening by NYC standards, but he appeared in sweatpants, white T-shirt, and weary eyes. April didn't waste time. "You met Emma outside her clinic last week, right?"

"Good evening to you too." Faulk rubbed at his eyes. "I've heard of you being assertive O'Neil, but this..."

"Faulk," April talked over him. "You met Emma outside the clinic, yes or no?"

"Yeah, I did." Faulk pushed his hair back, exasperated. "So? You gonna issue a restraining order."

"Watch your tone, bud." Casey warned, but April kept him back. "We're asking because… Emma's been acting strange. We were wondering if you might have noticed anything, maybe said something to upset her…"

"Blaming one of your own, O'Neil." Faulk chuckled. "That's low. Why the concern, how's she acting?"

"Just… not herself." April said vaguely. "Think; did you see anyone…"

"Not a thing." Faulk's fingers danced on his door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get my forty winks in."

"Ok," Casey sighed, heaving a fist at the door. "My turn."

"Casey." April attempted, but with one kick, Casey had them through the door. With the next, he socked Faulk in the stomach. Instantly, there was a shriek, Faulk flailed his arms, and sure enough, came the squirm of tentacles beneath the fabric of his shirt. Faulk caught himself on the wall and glared at April and Casey with his glowing red eyes… wait, what?

"You humans of the pathetic…" Faulk wobbled, his mouth not even moving. "You will not be the defeating of Kraang."

"You still need grammar lessons, obviously." Casey cracked his knuckles, preparing to use them. "You were right, Leo."

"Nah," came the turtle's voice from the shadows farther into the apartment. "The credit goes to April on this one." He stepped up behind Faulk. "She did, after all, recognize 'Faulk' on the security cameras."

"Yet, it _was_ Mikey who theorized he might be a Kraang-bot." April pointed out, getting cozy with them all in the hallway; hey, with her ninja boys around, she could be as cocky as she wanted! She glanced at Leo, grin spreading on her face. "Y'know, I think he should be rewarded."

"Oh, I agree." Donnie piped up as Leo and Casey dragged Faulk into his living room. He was waiting there with Raph and Mikey, the blinds drawn. Don looked at Mikey. "Michelangelo, would you care to do the honors?"

"What is this of honoring?" the Kraang demanded as Leo yanked off its shirt. Instantly, the tentacles lashed out; Casey knocked them back with his fists.

Raph slapped Mikey's shoulder, sharing April's grin. "He's all yours, little bro."

 **}{}{}{3 Minutes Later}{}{}{**

"Enough!" the gooey Kraang waved his tentacles in plea. "This is horrifying!"

"Oh, is it?" Mikey watched the wriggling alien intently. "Aw, I was going for sheer terror. Well, guess that's it for the knock-knock jokes. Looks like we'll have to move onto sarcasm!"

"Noo! The listening to your voice is painful enough!" the Kraang cried.

Leo raised a brow from where he stood behind him- like a regular storm trooper. "Either you talk… or he does. All night long."

The Kraang sighed at his predicament, eyes narrowing from one of their group to the other. "This being about that girl, isn't it."

"Where is she?" Leo's voice became one of steel. "The real one."

"Scrap meat, most likely."

That was the wrong thing to say. Mikey grabbed the Kraang by his two foremost tentacles and hung him upside down. "Are you familiar with how an earth oven works?"

Raph nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah, you're just about the right size for a casserole dish."

"There be no telling truth or not." The Kraang babbled in protest. "It Kraang's experiment the first. And Kraang will not be killing her until they are making it perfect."

"What are you saying?" Leo asked it, though it was more directed at Donnie.

"They cloned Emma." Donnie figured. "Or molded one, anyway. And her mannerisms are only able to be imprinted from her living brain. That's right? They need to keep her alive and thinking?"

The Kraang belched and Mikey dropped him back on the couch. "Kraang is assuming. Kraang's that of assignments was only to capture her."

"Where to?" Leo looked down at it, eyes as hard as his voice. The Kraang hesitated, until Mikey picked him back up and shook him.

"TCRI!" the Kraang gasped. "The TCRI building! I dropped her there and has been no seeing of her since!"

"Why Emma?" April jumped in from where she'd been waiting against the wall. "What does the Kraang have to gain from her clone?"

"As Kraang is saying, an experiment." Kraang insisted, Mikey righting him again. "Kraang's commanders do the working since after the invading. The mutagen… it did changing after that night. Someone made with contaminating it and Kraang found, after modification, mutagen could solidify. To take shape and direction."

 _The mutagen changed?_ Mikey eyed the alien, ignoring his slimy hands. _What would have made it…_

His head whipped to look at Donnie, along with everyone else's. Donnie's face had paled. "No. It's not possible. I injected those cylinders- one, anyway- with toxins. It should have eaten away at… or decayed it…"

The Kraang spat a laugh. "Kraang's mutagen is for easy alteration because that is function. Kraang's most durable, adjustable weapon, not simply destroyed or contaminated."

"Aw, man…" Donnie turned from the group and April was there immediately, hand on his shoulder. She knew they wouldn't want to hear any guilt coming from him. Not Donnie, who worked so hard to find solutions.

"So Emma's DNA was already in your files." Raph got them back on track. "And she was local. Made her an easy target."

The Kraang growled. "That and the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" Mikey demanded, all the questions and half-answers making him edgy.

"Circumstances of the human known as her father." The Kraang rolled his eyes. "Stupid organics."

Raph honed in and punched him. "Keep talking, slime ball. What's Major Tomes got to do with it? He's already cooling his heels."

"He's… your word is, liability. The whole family is this." The Kraang scoffed. "And the Shredder is detesting of this. But he is not foolish enough to do such killing when he will be the first suspect."

Mikey's eyes went wide then. "You're gonna use Impostress to kill Major Tomes, aren't you!?" He turned to face his family. "Dudes, this is proof that comics mirror real life!"

"Impostress?" The Kraang warbled. Then squawked as Mikey dropped him again. "Guys, Emma's alive! I've seen it a million times! Her double's gonna 'do the deed' and then the Kraang's gonna release her so that the police can arrest her for her dad's murder."

April's face tightened. "But this fake Emma's had a week to act. Why hasn't she?"

Casey thought, then his face took a grave turn. "Us. Well, me and April… when the police would come questioning, we'd tell them about her odd behavior. It would incriminate her further."

"When's this assassination supposed to take place?" Leo demanded of the Kraang, the point of his katana missing it by an inch. It didn't need farther persuasion. "At the prison, during visiting hours. It was meaning to take place weeks of a couple from that which is now. But you did the figuring of it out."

"Major Tomes is housed at Sing Sing Correctional Facility," Donnie told them with a cringe, filtering through his database. "Visiting hours begin at ten'o'clock tomorrow morning."

"So what, we just wait around till then?" Raph whined.

"We're _not_ going to fly into this blindly." Leo warded his temper off. "They have Emma at the TCRI building, giving them the home court advantage."

"But Impostress has neither right now." Mikey reasoned. "Leo, you and Raph need to get to the prison and stop her! You take the I-87, you're there in an hour. Only, you _let_ her get away! She'll head straight for the TCRI building, where the rest of us will be waiting for her. By then, Donnie'll have figured out where Emma is and we can get her out, while also luring Impostress into the only place that'll have something to kill her with! Or at least put her back in a test tube."

He paused, gulping in breath excitably. Everyone was staring at him, including the Kraang. "What are you waiting for, '1, 2, 3, break'?"

 **}{}{}{90 Minutes Later}{}{}{**

It turned out to the be a piece of stuffed-crust pie, finding Impostress at the prison. Getting her to abandon her post was another matter, Raph and Leo were discovering. They'd come face-to-face with her not four minutes ago… and she'd been fighting them every second of it.

"I don't like this Emma." Raph bent over to catch his breath. Leo forced a smirk his way. "I thought you'd admire her spunk."

"Not this much."

They both dodged a spinning kick from said assailant. Raph had his sai out, but Leo knew better. She was little more then an imitation of Flubber and congealed herself against their blows. Though somehow she was getting plenty of her own blows in. _She's intent on killing Emma's father. She needs a reason for retreat…_

"This," Impostress sighed, staring below her breast bone, where Raph's sai protruded. She gripped it and eased it back out with a slow, squishing sound. "Grows tiresome."

"Well you're not doing so hot either," Leo taunted, playing on a hunch. "If your bosses could see you, they wouldn't think twice about pulling the plug."

Impostress halted mid lunge, both her and Raph looking back at Leo. "What, reptile?"

 _Got her!_ Leo took his time to answer, but kept his stance. "Donnie, got you all figured out. Emma's still alive, but you know why? The only reason is to sustain _your_ life. It seems that your body can't function without her brain… that's the flaw with the whole program, isn't it? You can't be a completely independent being. Right?"

She glared, but said nothing. Leo shrugged, signaling to Raph. "It hasn't crossed your mind? Once you do this, you and Emma have exhausted your usefulness. Emma goes to jail, but Kraang and Shredder will just scrap you and try again."

Raph had caught on and scooted himself in, making Impostress the lab monkey in the middle.

"The Kraang will not deviate from their plans." She stated coolly. "Major Tomes will die and your _friend_ will go to jail for it. Why would you object to this? You wanted her out of the way… didn't you?"

That distracted Leo for a split-second. _I'd even had a plan for testing her loyalty… was I wrong?_

"Plans change." Raph snickered, clearly unthrown. "Or did you plan on battling four mutants and a hockey fanatic vigilante?"

Her eyes gauged them. Then she smiled. "Score one for the mutants."

And she bolted. Took a dead run across the roof, picked up speed, and soared her body over the street, landing peacefully on the over end.

"Yeah." Raph grinned at Leo. "Score one for us."

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

Karai lifted her eyes from the screen of her phone, after assessing the alert. She stepped up, just behind Oruko Saki's left shoulder. "Master, ameba has wandered from its petri dish."

It was a ridiculous code, but now and then her master could surprise her with his attempts at humor. Plus, it was a way to let him know precisely what was what. He had wanted very close eyes on this project, as it could determine the potential of the Foot Clan's future power.

They were attending a benefit dinner for the NYC fire department, but Master Shredder had excused himself and they were walking to their transport within thirty seconds. "Let the TCRI front desk know to expect us. There's only one interference that could cause her to leave her post prematurely."

"Should I have the soldiers meet us there?" Karai asked, the familiar twinge of anticipation jumping in her chest. She had come to expect it, when the four brothers were mentioned. Why? She couldn't say; other then the reptiles provided her with an actual challenge. Tested her skills.

"Karai." Master Shredder commanded her attention. Karai brought herself to his attention, putting the thoughts from her mind.


	12. Chapter 12

They didn't have time for stealth, yet couldn't afford to get caught. Donnie found their tactical position… cramped, to say the least. April refused to be left out of this, the guilt over how she'd left things with Emma, breaking through the lines in her face. They obviously couldn't leave Casey behind. Getting into TCRI, an established corporation for near forty years, would require all the muscle possible. The building had been under Baxter Stockman's supervision since 2008. Funded by Saks, overseen by Stockmen… governed by Shredder. But why? How did a partnership between Shredder and the Kraang even come about? The history lesson would have to wait, Donnie being the leader through the dripping shadows of the sewer tunnels.

And then their captured Kraang was little help.

 _"_ _The days of Kraang are spent working in the place of filthy humans." He kept insisting as they delved into the sewers below the TCRI building. "Kraang's only knowledge is of where Kraang would set up labs where mutagen would be the tested."_

 _"_ _Then that's where we'll find Emma." Donnie didn't need to second guess. "A good scientist keeps all his specimens in one place."_

Alright, he knew how callous that sounded, but he needed to be thinking like a scientist right now. His toxins had been meant to destroy the mutagen after all. Not create a more dangerous kind; much less endanger a friend. What if the Kraang had taken April, or one of his brothers? Yeah, best to let the geek in him take over.

"What do we do with Kidney Kraang when we get in?" Casey asked at the end of their procession, ticked that he had been the one stuck with carrying their prisoner.

"Send him floating down the nearest drainage pipe." Mikey suggested, eyes becoming intent on the ceiling as they rounded the corner. His breakdown of a plan back at Faulk's had been impressive and he'd been following Donnie's steps to hack into the security feeds and loop the cameras. He was 100% focused on getting in and breaking Emma out. Donnie had never seen him like this before, when a pizza wasn't involved.

"Once we've gotten Emma back, we'll just leave him there." Donnie said, shifting his gaze from one set of overhead piping to the other. "There's no telling what state she'll be in… Kraang, you said there was a tunnel we could get through."

The Kraang looked uncomfortable. "Not so much a tunnel as a teleport pad."

Donnie stilled. "What?"

"One that will be alerting Kraang of you when you enter."

Casey dropped him on the muck-ridden ledge and commenced stomping his boot into him. Donnie watched for a few stomps, then turned and eyed the dripping ceiling above them. Everything was old, brown and rusted, festering in filth like so many other corners of the sewers. There were two steam valves that shrouded it from direct view when they released the pressure of the city above. Yet…

"April, you see that?" Donnie checked with her, brave in her rubber boots and raggy sweatshirt, standing in the middle of the drainage. She nodded. "Yep."

They both saw the circular plate on the ceiling, behind the pipelines. Like several manholes welded together. And if Donnie wasn't mistaken, it was humming.

"Here?" Mikey pointed up, fixated, moving a few feet ahead.

"Eh, Mikey…" Donnie started.

But Mikey was already underneath it and the plate lit immediately lit up. It bathed Mikey in a column of purplish light, making the idiot freeze. "Uuumm… Donnie?"

Donnie waited for Mikey to vaporize or deconstruct molecularly. Neither of those things happened.

"Can you please be putting your foot someplace other then ME!" the Kraang was trying to crawl out from under Casey's wrath. Casey did stop, only to gather with April and Donnie at the edge of the light. After a moment, April bravely pushed her hand into it. "Is it… waiting for a password?"

Donnie followed her hand. "Maybe. However I'm not picking up on any keypads or…"

"What is it!?" Casey grabbed the Kraang by his tentacle. The Kraang only gurgled at him. Casey growled back at the alien. "Would've been a good day to wear my spurs."

"Guys, what're we waiting for?' Mikey gestured them in. April put in a shoulder, still skeptical. "Mikey, there needs to be a password."

"That's easy." Mikey grinned. "C'mon, get in here!"

Donnie eyed him, even as he stepped in, noting the rise in energy vibrating through the air. "Mikey, I'll admit that you've been on a roll tonight, but what makes you think…"

Mikey grinned. "You need to pay closer attention, D."

He paused then, massaging his chest. Oh no, he wasn't… was he? "Michelangelo…"

A loud, rumbling belch gurgled up and erupted through Mikey's mouth. April's face twisted in disgust. "Really?"

Mikey drew to a close, a massive grin on his face. Because all of a sudden, the humming grew louder. And the light brightened. Donnie's skin got the sensation of being pulled up into a vacuum. And it hurt!

"Wait!" Casey cried. "I'm not…"

But that was all Donnie caught before his particles separated.

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

One second it was dark, dank sewer.

The next was bright light and bright pain; there was no other way to put it. Then Mikey found himself in the middle of a polished white and gray room. His legs shook as they found solid ground and he fell to his knees. Donnie and April joined him, eyes flying around to get a grip on their surroundings.

"Oh, man…" April breathed slowly.

"Halt!"

Mikey's eyes refocused, looking back up to find ten Kraang-bots with blasters on them. "Wait! Isn't this the Sci-Fi Convention? My invitation specifically said…"

All three rolled out of the way as the Kraang-bots opened fire. Donnie popped his bo staff out, knocking the closest one back and into another. April grabbed Mikey's arm, still fighting her limp legs. "Door."

Sure enough, behind them, was a gaping doorway that lead to anywhere but here! Mikey hooked an arm around April, commanding his legs to fully function. He darted for it, along with Donnie. And no sooner had they stepped out of the tele-pad, did it light up again. This brought all mayhem to a pause, as Casey materialized with their Kraang friend. Casey staggered, but kept his footing, finding Mikey in his sights. "What's the idea? You left me with Chibi Kraang here! Had to persuade him to burp and dude gets it _all. Over. Me._ "

"Casey!" Donnie pointed his attention to the armed and dangerous Kraang-bots. Casey glanced over his shoulder. "Ah, right. Catch!"

With that, Casey tossed their captive straight into his comrades. At the same time, Mikey threw himself and April through the door. Casey and Donnie all but leapt in after them and the door must have recognized their passing cuse it slid shut behind them. Mikey checked the frame and spotted a keypad; with a whirl of his nunchaku, the screen cracked and the unit powered down. Dull thuds began shaking the door from the other side, but it stayed shut.

"What were you thinking!" Donnie was in Casey's face. "We needed that guy to help us navigate this place!"

"It was hardly a guy." Casey wiped his slimy hands on his pants in emphasis. "Besides, now that we're inside, you could download the blueprints for this place, easy."

"Not the passwords!" Donnie continued to bite into him. "Nor any of the other insider information that little brain could've provided for us."

Mikey ignored their bickering, the twinkling lights farther into the room catching his attention. Lights that came from a hovering globe with scatter-brained patterns all over it. Beyond the globe, there were mass of tubings, canisters, and examination tables. But what caught Mikey's eyes was the long, half white, half glass container that resembled a tanning bed. He stepped closer to it with a snicker. He didn't know that the Kraang were into the whole…

Mikey gasped. "Emma!"

 **Oh yes, cliffhanger! There's no sweeter revenge for a writer!**


	13. Chapter 13

She was fast!

That was a compliment, coming from a teenage mutant ninja turtle! Course, Raph and Leo had had to hitch their ride on a semi, back down I-87 from Sing Sing. There was only so much leaping and bounding one could do at 75 mph. But Raph closed the gap quickly, buckling Impostress at the knees when they were nearly to the TCRI building. Like an eel, she slithered from his grasp, kicking him back into Leo.

"What was that?" Leo pushed Raph off of him. "We _want_ her to get back to TCRI, remember."

"Yeah, but she can't know that." Raph huffed himself to his feet, helping Leo up. "Gotta sell it, right?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"She made it to TCRI." Raph pointed out to the high rise. "Not taking the front door."

 _In fact, she's not going in at all._ Leo thought. It was one more thought then Raph had as he leapt out to catch up to Impostress. He was still air-bourne, Leo tensing to follow him, when a flicker of a shadow caught his peripheral. _Aw, man._

Leo launched himself off of the neighboring roof, a katana already out. "RAPHAEL!"

He brought the Foot solider down with a single swipe of his sword. Only there were about ten to take his place. _They knew that we were coming!? No, it's just typical surveillance…_

"Don't lose her!" Leo shouted to Raph as Impostress vanished through the door. He nodded and barreled through the two that tried to block him. He spun to block the one trying to sneak up on his shell. His brow raised as he recognized the flash of red just above thin, curved eyebrows. "Karai."

"Reptile." She hissed and succeeded in a nick on the cheek from an o tanto hidden up her sleeve.

Leo knocked it from her hand, locking their elbows so she couldn't escape. "Where's Emma Dewitter?"

Karai's response was a knee to his hip. Leo's inch of surprise was all the leverage she needed to clamp her free arm around his neck and crack their foreheads together. Leo pushed her back, blinking at her form through the swirl of colors. _So it begins!_

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

It was a lab.

The kind where you probably didn't want to know what went on. That was April's hasty conclusion at her first sight of Emma. The large, long cylinder had her on her back and completely submerged. It looked like the mutagen, only more of a liquid, a few bubbles floating through it. Emma still wore the shorts and top that April had last seen her in, but her feet were bare. She floated in the pool of mutagen, the only thing holding her down a bulky, metal collar… one around her neck and another across her forehead. Why the collars? What were they for? April covered her mouth and had to step away, closing her eyes. But how was she going to un-see that?

"April?" Casey came up, hand cupping her elbow. April turned to him, eyes demanding he do something with her horror. "Has she been like this the whole time?"

"Donnie, get her out!" Mikey was moving his hands over the glass, like he'd find an off-switch. Donnie grabbed them away. "Don't! The Kraang are known for their sensory technology and you could activate the wrong feature. I need to analyze this tank first."

Mikey stopped, but he kept a hand on the glass over Emma's pale face. Casey stepped back up to help Donnie, giving April a moment to compose herself.

"These tubes," Donnie knelt beside a point of exit at the side of the tank. "They're her oxygen, most likely… or they've induced her into a comatose state. The connection must not be as stable as we thought. Her doppelganger must not be able to function if she's completely unconscious. She's suspended somehow, while they borrow from her mind, like a reference book."

April joined their circle, though she angled herself so Mikey's shoulder blocked any direct view of the inside of the container. "Even…" _Pull it together, O'Neil!_ "Even if we get her out of there, how do we plan to get her out of _here?"_

"One Pandora's box at a time." Donnie muttered, standing up. "We need to drain the mutagen out of there first."

Donnie directed Casey to check the other end of the tank. He made his way back to the globe at the center of the room, bringing up his own hologram system. And the filtering began. A few thuds resonating on the other side of the door brought back a sense of urgency to the situation. April lent her eyes to the globe, watching the passing screens, hoping to catch…

"What's that?" she pointed to a mini-sized box, showing a female outline. Donnie blew it up, showing a copy outline beside. But, whereas the first had a skeleton running through it, this one didn't. There were mirrored windows scaling pulses, blood pressure, and brain activity as well. And all the activity was on the empty body's side.

"This' Emma's monitor." Donnie answered simply. "They've been keeping records of Impostress' link with her. There's notes on how to improve, the abilities of Impostress, how her anatomy makes it happen… the strain on the test subject, due to the conditions of…"

"GUYS!" Mikey shrieked.

April and Donnie whipped around, Donnie's bo at the ready.

"She- Mikey turned from the tank, jaw slack. "She moved! She's awake!"

"What!?"

The four friends crowded back around the tank and sure enough, Emma's eyes had opened! Like a dreamscape, her head raised toward them, yet she didn't appear to have noticed any of them. April hadn't seen it before, but there was the slightest of air pockets skimming beneath the glass. Emma's nose and lips entered the pocket and her chest rose.

It hadn't done that before. April's skin went cold. "She… is she holding her breath?"

As though sensing her voice, Emma's eyes flicked over to April's face. They hesitated; then they widened! A sudden beeping sounded from the globe and Donnie darted back. "Oh boy! She's getting excited. I was right about the Kraang inducing a type of…" He eyed Mikey. "She needs to keep her heart rate down or risk going into shock."

"Hey, Emma." Mikey moved his hand, catching her attention. "Hang on, Gorgeous."

He made a motion at her to calm down. Emma paused, then slowly got her hand to rise. It was so slow and feeble, but she pushed it against the glass, against Mikey's palm. Her face had become so pained, so desperate… April needed to look away again. "Donnie, we need to get her out!"

"I'm aware of that." Donnie pushed the diagram aside, searching. "If I could just find the controls for the tank…"

More beeping, more rapid.

"Mikey! Get her to calm down." April cried.

"You try telling her." Mikey actually yelled back. He looked over the tank, eyes freaking out. "Emma…"

That's when her whole body jerked.

"She's seizing!" Casey flailed a golf club out of his bag. "Mikey, April, get back!"

"Casey!" Donnie warned.

"Find the button that unlocks it." Casey ordered and swung hard at the glass at Emma's feet.

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"Donnie's not answering!" Raph shouted up from the stairwell below Leo.

Leo took his frustration at this information out on the Kraang-bot that refused to lay down. It had gotten back up twice; the Kraang were seeing the need to improve their weapons. Leo finally managed to slice through its arm at the shoulder and leapt up, kicking it back in the chest. "You try Casey?"

"He's not either." Raph hollered after a few clangs and bangs.

Leo looked past the fallen robot at the smirking Karai. "You believe you'll reach her in time?"

Wait… was that hope in her voice? Hope for what?

"I'll match your beliefs with reality." Leo told her.

"I'm finding you a match in many things, Leonardo." Karai's voice slowed with the drawing of her blade. Leo poised, ready for her attack. _First time she's ever used my name._

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

The glass broke on Casey's fifth swing. With a sickening _slosh,_ the container began to empty of the mutagen. Casey backed up so it wouldn't get all over his pants. Mikey watched its level intently, falling back over Emma's face and down around her ears. She opened her mouth like it was the most precious moment in the world. Mikey felt along the edge of the top half, but it was seamless. _C'mon, Donnie!_

"I got it." Donnie announced from behind. A second later, the tank gave a thin hiss, releasing its seal, and popped open a few inches. Mikey swung it up the rest of the way, cracking the wall behind it. "Emma."

"U-ugh.. h-" was all she groaned.

Then Mikey realized. "Donnie, she's still got the brain gear on."

He reached in, but Emma stopped him with the sluggish block of her hand. Mikey shivered at her touch; it was so cold…

"It has to be done manually," Donnie nudged Mikey over. "Emma, eyes here. Are you in pain?"

She nodded, her face going red. No, wait… that was the water! Blood! Where was she bleeding from?

"Please." Mikey whispered. "Hang on."

"April, what's the schematic show?" Donnie placed both his hands in the water, gingerly touching the gear that had Emma pinned.

"It… it's like a collar." April told them shakily from the globe. "There's these needles inserted around her neck… six of them. And there's three in her forehead."

"This' sick!" Casey cried, his face practically scarlet. April looked back, her features blanched. "They tap into her frontal lobe and her cortex. That's how Impostress has been able to gather info on her."

Casey let the expletives fly at that, looking at the door that sealed them away from the Kraang.

"G-G-" Emma was trying to talk again.

"Casey, help Mikey lift her up so I can detach this." Donnie moved around to the head of the tank. Emma's eyes watched him, knowing what was coming. Mikey didn't want to know, yet wished he could take it instead. She looked at him, her eyes the most pained he had ever seen. Fearful, drained, completely… hopeless. But they were here now! He'd take it all away for her.

"Watch me." Mikey told her. "I got prettier eyes then that doofus."

Her expression didn't change, but she braced herself as Mikey, along with Casey lifted her to one side, allowing Donnie to reach beneath her soaked hair. He felt around the collar, until he found what must have been a latch. It was easy to undo, but slow to extract. The water turned darker with each needle that Donnie pulled free. They weren't long, but they were thick, and Mikey could see the holes from where he stood. Emma whimpered, yet she held herself still. Once Donnie finished with the collar, they turned her back and he did the same with the metal strip to her forehead. She was so pale, the blood so dark…

"Aaagghhh!" Emma cried out when finally released, her face giving in to the raging emotions she hadn't been able to express before. Through her wet clothes and slime-coated skin, Mikey, Donnie, and Casey helped her out of the tank, touching her bare, wrinkled feet to the floor. Her ankles and knees buckled with the first ounce of weight. Mikey barely caught her, the residue of the mutagen making it hard to get a grip.

"Gotcha, Gorgeous." Mikey tried to keep his tone light. He undid his bandana and used it to wipe some of the blood that was trailing down her face. He felt Don, everyone staring. He couldn't let himself do that… she deserved some humanity right now. They were all so intent on Emma though, that no one saw the lid fall and slam itself shut.

Emma screamed with the sound. She pushed away from Mikey and crawled away from the tank, as clumsily as she could. "Nooo! N-Nononono…"

She didn't see April until she collided with her legs. This seemed to exhaust her energy and she went down again, in a heap on the lab floor. The sight snapped them all out of their shock. April dropped down to Emma to catch her still flailing arms and Mikey rushed up. But he was unsure where to put his hands. Donnie threw open a few cabinet doors until he found a shiny stack of thermal blankets. He fanned one open and hurried to put it around Emma. She resisted at first, rambling. "D-don't! P-p-p-ut me back! Don't put m-me-e-e back in… do-o-on't…"

She continued to plead, teeth clanging with every word. Mikey grabbed the blanket from Donnie and wrapped it around her in a type of bear hug. "Never."

There was an angry resolution to his voice now.


	14. Chapter 14

"Have you and the Kraang created more like her?" Leo demanded, sword aimed for the softer spot of Karai's throat. It had only taken him nine floors, but he had managed to gain the upper hand. Her own sword laid a few steps below their standoff, the rest of her soldiers all up and down the corridor. Some groaned in pain; the lucky ones were still unconscious.

 _So why the smile on her face?_ Leo wondered. _Is it to highlight her hair? Or did she actually enjoy our fight?_

"Master Shredder and General Kraang speak of many projects," Karai was still catching her breath. "All behind closed doors. Even a rank as high as myself cannot be privy to them all."

"Oh please," Raph snorted, leaning on the cement with a cocked hip and hated sneer. "Be a good little knoichi and answer the question. Stop protecting your boss."

Karai's eyes wavered to him. "Some have bosses. I have a master."

"A master who cares nothing for the true code of the ninja." Leo said. "No remorse, and no regard for any of the human lives he's ravaged."

Karai grabbed at his katana then, sleek hand to sleek blade. "You are wrong, Leonardo."

"And you're not so blind." Leo told her. Her hand on his sword worried him; did she want to get cut? He stayed on her eyes and was surprised at the change in them. They had retreated to someplace past, someplace secret. But she steeled over them, moving her hand further down the katana. "It is not my place to question the conquest of my master."

Leo moved his blade back, slow so it didn't cut her. "Even when you don't agree with it? Wherever Emma is, you've seen her. And it troubles you."

Raph was looking between them like they were both nuts, but Leo never broke his gaze with Karai. Her eyes... No matter what her mouth said, they were different then the blind devotion of Shredder's other soldiers.

"Don't presume to know me, reptile." Karai seethed, back to the organic labels. Yet, why was she stepping aside?

"Your friend, for better or for worse, is in a lab in the lowest level of the building."

Raph had heard enough. "And you expect us to waltz right in there? Make yourselves easy targets?"

Karai kept her eyes on Leo, obviously leaving the decision with him. And really, what other decision did they have. And she had cleared their path.

"Let's go." Leo sheathed his katana.

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"I don't hear anything." Casey said, an ear to the dented door that kept them in this nauseating lab.

"That door's sixteen inches thick." Donnie told him. "You won't hear much of anything."

Casey pushed off the door, twirling a hockey stick. The familiar rage was pulsing through his body, pushing through his fingertips and begging for retribution. Emma was a human and the way she'd been treated… stuffed and strapped inside a test tube like… like…

Casey winced back as splinters from his hockey stick flew toward his face. His mad swing at the door had snapped the top off of it. When had he swung it? He looked back, catching April's glare at him. _Now? Really?_

"Somebody point out the hidden door already because I'm not digging this closed and caged feeling." Was all Casey could defend himself with.

Donnie looked back at the globe, analyzing the heck out of it. Even inside the thermal blanket, Emma still shook and it was all Mikey could do to keep the blanket from falling off. Was she _that_ cold? Or that afraid? Had she really been conscious inside that tank the whole time? Casey got his own chills thinking about such confinement.

"There's always April's idea." Donnie mentioned, closing the globe down. "To which, I'm not finding any alternatives."

Casey's face pinched. "Ugh… so long as it gets the door open."

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"Feels weird going down for a change." Raph mentioned as he and Leo vaulted over their fourth flight of stairs. "All the excitement's usually at the top."

"They must have to keep their labs underground so they can borrow from the city's hydraulic power." Leo suggested.

"And hydraulic power would be?" Raph soared over big brother's head, bounced himself off the opposite wall and back-flipped down the last flight.

"The use of water in electrical power." Leo was close behind. "Lots of equipment that you don't want anyone to know about, they need to borrow the power from an undetectable source."

Raph reached the bottom first and wrapped his hands around his sai. "So they've been using our sewers this whole time? Nasty little vermin! Emphasis on the little."

Leo got quiet, nodding with his chin to the corridor behind Raph. Raph closed his eyes. "They're right behind me, right?"

"Of course."

"Alright then." Raph spun, ready to make short work of them. The Impostress chick was the one he was looking for anyway. He hadn't caught sight of her since the roof and it was nagging at him, not knowing where she was. This goal drove Raph on as he and Leo cut through fourteen Kraang-bots before coming up on the two that were holding special weld-type gizmos up to a door. Well, the giant rectangular room that they were in had several doors.

"What's behind Door #3?" Raph wandered aloud.

The bots stopped welding and stood up. But Raph grounded them with a single split kick. Leo knelt beside the door, picking up one of the torches. "Door's been jammed from the inside. Gotta be Mikey."

He hit at the door, calling out their brothers' names. Nothing happened.

"Maybe he can't hear us." Raph suggested, swallowing a pit of fear.

"Or thinks it's a trap." Leo said. "If the Kraang can clone humans, cloning a voice would be child's play,"

They immediately resumed cutting where the bots had left off, until they had melted down a fist-sized hole. Cautiously, Leo put his hand through. The door slid back, easy as water. Leo darted in onthe left, while Raph took the right side.

But the room was empty. Broken glass… No other doors… Open cabinets… It looked like there had been a struggle, yet the room was empty of any parties. So, why were the Kraang so desperate to get in then? A noise suddenly came from above and Leo pointed his blade toward it.

"EEEK! Don't skewer!"

"Mikey." Raph cried, looking up. Sure enough, a tile drew back and their little bro's head popped out… only to drop it. Leo managed to catch it before it clattered to the floor.

"Mikey, what the shell?" Raph huffed out. "Where's Donnie?"

"What, I'm not important?"

There was a rattle and Casey peeked out at them from another tile. Slowly, but surly, the whole gang crawled out and dropped to the floor. Except for Emma, who hung limply in Mikey's arms, blank stare on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" Raph asked. Nobody answered him.

"There's a tele-pad in the outer room." Donnie explained. "And we knew it was only a matter of time before the Kraang broke in here. Our plan was to jump them from above and make it back into the sewers. We can fight these guys any day Leo, but Emma needs a doctor."

And tell the doctor what exactly? The frail body of Emma Dewitter shivered and Leo saw the dried blood on her neck and forehead. It made Leo shutter too. He'd never seen her like this; it was unsettling.

"Just give her an adrenaline shot." Raph said, his tone flat.

Mikey's arms stiffened around Emma. "Raph, I'm warning you-"

Raph narrowed his eyes at him. "Hey, she walked herself into this mess, she can walk herself out."

"Does she look like she can walk!?"

"Guys, can we just go." April pointed to the door, already edging toward it. Leo seconded the motion. They were on the move, only as Mikey passed by Leo, Emma's hand suddenly grabbed for him. "L-Leo…"

Her voice was… so broken. Like the glass. Leo covered her hand. "Just hang in there, Emma."

" _Leo_." She forced it out this time. Her hand twitched, trying again to grab his arm. Mikey and Leo both leaned in. Then he could see her eyes- those were still Emma's.

"K-Kill he-e-r." Emma gulped. "Heat. Kil-l-l her w-w-ith… heat."

Heat? Leo didn't have to guess who she was talking about, but how would Emma know that?

"Come on." Leo nodded to Mikey, getting them out of the door. "We need to-"

Donnie's _uumph_ of pain stopped Leo and the rest of them. Donnie had moved ahead to glimpse the room's control panel. But standing between it and him was Emma's own evil twin.


	15. Chapter 15

_Gotta. Snap. Outta this._ Emma demanded of her body, but it still didn't respond. Everything was so clouded, so muffled, and her head… it hurt. Everything hurt. The commands her brain managed to send out were all but frozen in transmission. She did, however, turn her head and watched from her angle on the floor. The turtles and Casey were having to fight the other her; Emma was going with E-2 at the moment. And E-2 was managing to kick all of their butts.

 _But. I know. How to kick. Hers._ Her thoughts were coming in longer sentences; a good sign. She strained her rubbery muscles, trying to gain even an inch. _C'mon. You leech. A little more… Just… a little closer…_

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

"It's all a matter of who to kill first, isn't it." Impostress was laughing from where she had thrown Casey headlong into the fire extinguisher on the wall. "So many options, so many ways to do it."

Her voice was so cold. And it was driving April crazy! She rushed over to Casey as Raph charged at Emma's cocky copy. Only to be kicked back again with relative ease. April eyed the goose-egg bruise swelling over Casey's forehead. Something like this could KILL him! And after he'd half-proposed to her…

"What's wrong with you!?" April turned a fed-up glare up at Impostress. "We haven't done a thing to you."

"Well," Donnie coughed. "I did electrocute her a few times-"

"Donnie!" Raph and Leo hissed at him.

To April's question, Impostress shrugged, folding her arms in a bored posture. "The Kraang want you all dead, more or less. They've named many strategies, but the objective is the same. It's the least I can do, after they made me."

"And after that?" April challenged her, eyes flicking to the real Emma, who Mikey had lain down against the wall to join the fight. "You many have Emma's body, even her thoughts, but you seem to have a will of your own. Why use it to hurt people?"

Impostress almost missed the swipe of Leo's katana coming up behind her. She caught it, halfway through her hand and drove Leo back with her other hand. She looked back at April, amused. "When did this become a Dr. Phil session?"

Mikey then sprung out of nowhere, ramming Impostress to the floor. "Emma doesn't watch Dr. Phil."

"Maybe she should," Impostress rebounded, putting herself back beside the control panel. She tapped a finger to the side of her head. "Lots of unrest going on up here. A conflict in personal identity, self-esteem issues to boot. Then there's the feelings of loneliness and betrayal wearing her down."

Her eyes went to April and April found herself looking away, back to Casey. He was out cold, making them down a fighter, and two to carry out of here.

Impostress gave a chilling giggle. "You really botched that one, didn't you, April. I'd love to tap into your head, see what made you turn your back-"

"Enough of your noise!" Raph roared, coming at her again. This time, Donnie closed in on the other side. But Impostress stopped both of their weapons at the same time; bo with one hand, sai with the other. The brothers pressed in, but she barely wavered back. And the pit in April's stomach grew. Raph rammed his second sai into her back, driving it in up to the hilt. She squirmed, making enough room for Donnie to kick her back. Impostress hit the counters, but held herself up. Eyes narrowing in irritation, she reached back for the sai.

"You're so dense, Raphael." She withdrew the blade slowly. "But I'm denser."

"You're not human." Raph told her, eyes on his sai.

"I'm more human then that meat sack over there." Impostress pointed the sai at Emma's form. She aired out the neck of her jacket seductively. "All this body and brain and she doesn't do a thing with it." She moused closer to Emma by a few steps. "Oh well, it's not like you'll miss her, right? After all, she's not to be trusted."

Mikey darted in between the two redheads, his chucks ready. "Leave her alone."

"You like getting on people's nerves don't you." Impostress sized Mikey up, then gave another giggle. "Cause, some of the memories I've visited…"

Mikey bonked her aside the head. "Those memories are Emma's! Give 'em back!"

Impostress touched where he had hit her like it tickled. "Boy, you are the dumb one."

She swung the sai out, making Mikey move back. So much so that he tripped over Emma's legs. She grabbed his foot and spun him over and around, knocking him into Leo. "I think I've made my point."

April's breath caught as Impostress raised the sai to pierce through Emma's chest. She pushed herself up, but her feet felt like they were stuck in mud. "No!"

Impostress' hand came down.

And Emma's hand popped up suddenly, disappearing into Impostress' chest!

 **}{}{}{}{}{}{**

"EMMA!" Mikey screamed.

He climbed off of Leo and swiped at Impostress to get her away from Emma. But Impostress' body didn't budge. Why couldn't she? Leo came up behind him, followed by April, until the glow hit all of their faces. It was the same glow Impostress had given off in the lair. Only this time, Emma was glowing with her!

""What-?" Impostress cried out in horror. "What're you doing!?"

Leo pulled Mikey back, keeping an arm in front of April. Mikey was fixated on Emma's hand and forearm buried into Impostress' chest. The bluish glow was sprouting from there and was traveling in florescent viens down Emma's arm, through her shoulder, and into her own chest.

 _It's like…_ Mikey looked between the two. _It's like it's feeding her._

"You think… this' a one way street." Emma's voice grunted out and she pushed herself up on her elbow. "I read your thoughts. What you take, I can take back!"

Emma yanked her hand out, kicking Impostress back with both her bare feet. Impostress about hit April as she was flung back. Like a rag doll. Mikey watched her land, still tense.

He looked back down, as Emma panted on her space on the floor. "E-Emma?"

She jumped up, staggered with her weight, but the look on her face stopped anyone from helping her. Her eyes found Mikey as she fought with gravity. "I'm... afraid of marbles because one got stuck in my ear when I was ten, and rabbits… because they attacked me at a state fair when I was six. They're evil."

Relief flooded Mikey's chest and he smiled at her. "You _trying_ to scare the handsome offa me, Gorgeous."

Emma didn't smile back. Rather, she stomped over to Impostress, while she was still in shock. She gripped Impostress' collar and yanked her up until they were nose-to-nose. "Never call him dumb."

She shoved her back down onto the telepad. She pounded a button on the control panel and it immediately lit the room and zapped; taking both Emmas with it.

"She's back!" Mikey pronounced, eyeing everyone to spread his joy. "Raise your hand if you're happy."

Everyone's hand- even Raph's- went up.

 **Who will win the daring duel to the death?**

 **Only my next chapter will tell; and you can only anxiously await its posting. Until then, pins and needles,** **pins and needles!**


	16. Chapter 16

Emma hit the ground sooner then expected and toppled over, losing her vice on E-2. She felt the wetness of the run-off, smelled the refuse. The sewers! _Well, there goes my sweet exit._

Suddenly, there was a hand on the back of her neck, pushing her face into the water. E-2's thoughts rushed her just as fast. _The sooner I'm done with you, the better! What'd you do up there!?_

This was nothing new; she'd been taunting her all week. And Emma was done with it! She pushed up, breathing in the stale air. "Dead girls… tell no tales."

She drew up to her knees, a hand already twisted in E-2's hair. She pulled, bringing E-2 over her shoulders and back-first into the water. She scrambled the rest of the way up, away from her evil twin. She felt the energy that she had taken, but her body was still racked with cold. Her cheeks, however, were plenty heated.

"I spent a week… in that fish bowl." Emma kicked out, getting E-2 in her neck. "The only voice I had for company… was yours. Yours and how you were treating my friends. My life."

Her copy laughed, still on her back. "Friends? That's what you call the ones who have taken you at face value? Just like all the others."

Emma gripped her hands into fists, working feeling back into them. E-2 rose up, head cocked smugly. "That adorable gang from Oahu, the neighbors from Ireland… I detect a pattern here. Like you one minute, shun you the next-"

"Shut up." Emma tried to put more steel in her voice. But again, her brain was traveling at YouTube speed.

E-2 was fully up now, towering above her again. "You know, I've only been at this a week, but I gather that once people make up their minds, they rarely change it. Especially the Americans; they hate to be wrong."

 _Get up!_ Emma ordered her body. "They also… hate it when someone plays a trick on them."

E-2 pointed at her chest. "What _trick_ did you pull back there?"

"You're a highly concentrated glop of energized goo." Emma shrugged, back on her knees. Oh good, full sentences. Now if she could just accomplish full range of motion. "The Kraang mingle their goo with my DNA. My DNA, so I figure my energy. Our common cells merge when we touch, transferring that energy."

"Fascinating." E-2 shot an arm out, clocking Emma on the cheek. "But it'll take more then a few AAs to stop me."

To Emma's surprise, there was no pain from her doppelganger's fist. Guess that made being numb a good thing! She backed up onto the tunnel's ledge, forcing a smirk. "The way you almost sound like me; scary."

"You don't know how scary." E-2 charged then, but Emma ducked just in time. She threw herself forward to gain a little space. That was when the bright light of the telepad once again flooded the sewer. It made Emma freeze and cost her an iron fist to her throat. Her back hit the damp wall, her feet left the slimy floor. She felt the pressure on the holes, smelled the blood squishing out from them. A bit of the heated liquid sprayed E-2 across the cheek.

And E-2 laughed. "Not quite my color."

Emma's muscles were still coming out of their molasses fog and failed to defend her crushing airway. _C'mon, FOCUS!_

"Stealing… Leo's moves…" Emma said with disappointment. "Guess I'll… borrow one of yours."

Emma swung her legs up and curled them around E-2's arm. This locked them close enough for her hand to reach back inside E-2's chest. The glow returned and Emma felt the energy nearby. But it acted confused, their two minds yanking it back and forth between them. Emma then snapped a foot into E-2's face. E-2 staggered back and Emma slumped all her weight forward. This sent them both twisting back over into the water.

"Emma!" Leo called and Emma managed to look up. At the head of the group, now crowded into the tunnel, he was pointing. She would've followed his line of sight, only E-2 ignited another fist, this time to her jaw. The world blurred again; she was getting sick of that! Not even sure where she was looking, Emma gripped E-2's collar and hurled her face-first into the stream of brown filth. It wouldn't do more then disorient, but it made them even.

"I've got an idea!" Leo shouted this time.

"Do it!" was all Emma could manage now. Oh, to sleep for a week or two… she felt arms before she could slip below the waterline. "Gotcha! Gotcha, Gorgeous."

"Mikey…" Emma fought to breath, pain creeping over the edges of her consciousness. Then she spotted E-2 standing over them, hair and clothes sopped, hand glowing. "You're done."

The mad dash of Raphael, however, had other ideas. He rammed into E-2, encasing her in his bulging arms. He ran with her farther down the smelly corridor, until he had her up against the far wall. He growled. "Feeling the heat yet, princess?"

"What?" E-2 pushed against him in vain.

 _What?_ Emma looked from Mikey, then over to Leo; right as he was turning a valve.

There was a rumbling sound from above, perhaps louder then what Emma could hear at the moment. At the last second, Raph released E-2 as a white-grey glush of steam jetted down on her from the pipes above. There was a gasp, then a terrified shriek that lengthened into the soul-ripping scream of the dying. Emma clapped her hands over her ears, but also shut her eyes to the mirrored pain searing her own nerves. She felt it! _Somebody help! I- I can feel her dying!_

"Emma? Em, what's wrong?" Mikey shook her worriedly, but Emma remained clenched against his chest, biting her lip at the undeniable torment of several-hundred degree heat melting your flesh back, bit by bit.

"It's hurting her!" April's cry realized. "Leo, turn it off!"

"It's only a telepathic reaction." Donnie told them. "That's to be expected. She'll… she'll be alright."

Emma just bit her lip and reminded herself to breath. Leo let the steam run for over a minute. When he finally did turn it off, the pain had subsided for the last ten seconds or so. The sewer, April, an unconscious Casey, Mikey, it all came back into focus. Emma prayed that they would stay that way.

"Emma!" Mikey pulled her up out of the water and crushed her to him. "Are you ok? I'm soooooo glad you're alive and not a raging muta-clone! You wouldn't have _believed_ the things she had you doing…"

"Actually," Emma squirmed. "I might… Mikey… air!"

"Oh," Mikey set her down, but remained about a quarter-inch too close in her space.

"We need to split before the Kraang drop in." Donnie gestured to the seemingly harmless ceiling.

"Yeah." Leo hoisted Casey onto his shoulders. "Enough battles for one day."

"Again with the one-liners, bro." Mikey glowered, picking Emma up. "Where do you come up with them?"

 **Another short chapter, I know. But I try to space out my story according to the pace that it's at. It's been all rush, rush, rush... now, we can finally draw more then one breath.**


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm not even sure what tests I should run." Donnie admitted to a damp and daunt Emma, who slumped in the chair beside all his lab equipment. "You sure you don't want a hospital?"

Emma shook her head, forcing her eyelids up. "What'm I gonna say?"

She was referring to her neck, mostly. Her pale face showed off the beating that Impostress had given her below TCRI and her lips and fingers remained a pale blue. Master Splinter had given her a change of clothes upon their return, but she still shivered and a week of no food was evident. The Kraang had only needed her brain- they hadn't cared about her body. Donnie felt guilty asking; "How do you feel? Anything out of place?"

Emma delayed her answer, clamping down on her shaking fingers. "I'll have plenty of bruises, but everything's working. I'm… weak. That jolt I took from… it's worn off."

"Yeah, how'd you do that?" Mikey blurted, reminding Donnie that he was hovering.

He had been able to distract everyone else's attention from the proverbial elephant in the room. Raph had taken April and Casey to the hospital to take care of Casey collision with the fire extinguisher. _That_ was an easy thing to cover up. Meanwhile, Leo was pretending to care about cleaning the dojo and Master Splinter- naturally- was making tea. Emma had tried to down a little chamomile, but her stomach had immediately rejected it. So, Master Splinter said it would be on standby, whenever Emma was ready for it.

But there was apparently no distraction big or bright enough for Mikey this time. He had raised a good question though. Donnie almost wanted to jump right in with questions regarding the link Emma had experienced with her clone.

Almost.

"We'll let you get some sleep." Donnie spoke against his curiosity. "If, that's what you need."

"Yes." Emma's voice was like rock, yet still so tired.

"You can have my bed!" Mikey cried, ready to lead the way.

"Here." Emma gripped the arms of the chair. "Here's good. Thanks Mikey."

Sure enough, she turned herself over a little. Her eyes closed instantly. Donnie grabbed Mikey and dragged him out of the lab. Mikey, of course, resisted. "D, what gives?"

Leo looked up, dust rag and Pledge in his hands. He stepped down from the dojo, eyeing Donnie. Donnie just eyed Mikey. "Mikey, something tells me she needs a little time to process this."

Mikey paused, then shrugged. "Pizza and stale jokes can do that."

"Mikey!" Leo lowered his voice. "Be a little considerate will you. This isn't just about you getting your friend back."

"She was kept like a sea monkey in a, by all dimensions, coffin!" Donnie stressed this image to his brother. "I don't think pizza…"

"Hold your tongue." Mikey stepped back, eyeballs on the doorway to the lab. He was deflecting the seriousness with humor, like always. Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder, getting him to look at him and Leo. "Time, Mikey. She just needs time. Pizza will come later."

Mikey sighed. "I don't want time."

"But Emma _needs_ time." Leo emphasized the word. "As much as we can give her."

Mikey looked between them, then leaned in. "Are you getting as sick of the word 'time' as I am?"

"Yes, we are." Donnie nodded.

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

The turtles and Master Splinter were checking on Emma every thirty minutes. She'd been asleep that long- sixteen hours and counting. She had out-lasted Casey, who couldn't have fled from the hospital fast enough, but was taking it easy at his apartment, thanks to April. He'd sent a picture of the ginormous goose egg the fire extinguisher had given him, Raph putting it in their 'war wound' archive. They'd all been putting around the lair all day, Donnie having the most to do with keeping track of Emma's vital signs. Nothing stirred her though.

It was Leo's turn, an hour before dinner, when he peeked in and saw Emma shaking all over. He prepped to yell for Donnie, but she woke up then, gripping the chair, breathing fast. She looked around, spotted Leo, and relaxed. Sort of.

"Nightmare?" Leo guessed. Emma nodded, regaining her posture. Then she got out of the chair altogether, as though she could climb out of the bad memory.

"I was back. Back in that tube." She held her throat, both of them wincing at the croaky sound of her voice. "You were all outside… eating pizza and caramel butter-pecan ice cream without me."

 _Seriously?_ Leo's eyebrows raised, but he said nothing.

"I tried to call out, but couldn't." Emma wrapped her arms around her waist, engulfed in the baseball shirt they had found for her. "Then I looked over and I- _she_ was clutching my throat shut. Smiling…"

"Master Splinter could teach you some breathing techniques." Leo offered. "Harness your chi, expel those bad memories."

Emma shook her head. "I respect Splinter and all, but I never was into all that chi stuff. Whatever tries to get at me, I'll handle it. Not some mystic force that may or may not be inside me."

That wasn't how chi worked, but Leo knew it wasn't the time to correct her. "You were asleep for sixteen hours. How do you feel?"

She needed a few swallows before she could answer. "Like my soul was ripped out of me, manhandled, then shoved back in with a maniacal laugh echoing through it."

Leo was beginning to feel hope. A wild, derailed answer like that only came from Emma Dewitter.

"Sounds about right." Leo eyed behind him, but didn't see anyone hurrying over. Raph had taken Mikey sewer surfing, hadn't he? "It was after you called us that night, wasn't it? When the Kraang grabbed you?"

Emma hesitated, then nodded. "I busted out of the cab, but this guy, Randy Faulk-"

"We know," Leo filled her in. "He's a Kraang; we got him."

Another nod from Emma. "Well, he must've drugged me because one second I was staring at the sidewalk…" Her breath hitched. "Next second I was… in it."

"Awake?" Leo's eyes widened at her in shock. _Surely not._

But the look in Emma's eyes told him he was right. "They kept me awake, the entire time. There was, I don't… something through the needles, that kept my body barely mobile. But my mind… all day, all night. The only way I got oxygen was holding my breath and finding an air pocket at the top of the glass. Two minutes, forty-three seconds. That was my clock, Leo. Two minutes and forty-three seconds. Divide that into six days and see what you get."

Leo was floored, left cold in the image of her fight for survival. "I-"

"Don't." she snapped, lowering back into the chair; the tirade had tired her. "Don't try to sympathize; you can't."

Leo felt the hilt of his katana, wondering if it could give him answers; or just the right thing to say. His gaze went to the patches of gauze that Donnie had taped over the holes from the needles. There was dried blood on each one, a few trickles down Emma's neck- from talking. They looked painful and Emma's eyes reflected that pain. Yet, they weren't impeding her thought processes. That was good...

"Mikey knew." Leo finally said. "He wasn't fooled, not for a second. It was the rest of us that…"

"I know." Emma cut him off. "I mean… I could see you, when that _thing_ was trying to be me. Like, through a telescope. The things she was saying and doing… I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be." Leo said.

"But that's what you're here about, right?" Emma met his gaze again; there wasn't anger, or much of anything. "Why you haven't told the others I'm awake. What she said when you brought her down here, about me. You want to judge for yourself."

"Emma," Leo kept his tone gentle. "We don't need to talk about this now."

Her eyes stayed on him. "The Kraang would have never had a clone without my blood. And guess what I overheard in that lab? It was my dad who gave them the idea."

 _Oh._ Leo didn't even try to answer that one.

"He didn't think it would be used to kill him." Emma drew a knee up. "But, he obviously has had no qualms about intergalactic relations. So, as his daughter… did I ask the Kraang to do this to me or not."

She made it sound so pitiful. As though it resolved something for her; the wrong something. Leo stepped up, trying not to tower over her. "You tell me no, and I'll believe you."

Emma squinted up at him. "Yeah? For whose sake? Yours or Mikey's?"

"When'd you get so perceptive."

She rolled a sleeve of the shirt up and back down. "It's not that hard to get a read on you, Leo. You've got a good poker face, but stick around long enough and your actions show your intentions. Your family's special, yet forced to live like this. Everything you do as their leader, is to show them that there was a reason for it, that the rewards make the sacrifices worthwhile. It's so noble… but it's also strenuous because you put the responsibility all on yourself."

Leo felt stripped bare and it unnerved him. Was this the same girl who loved chugging soda contests and sang 'Uptown Funk' karaoke with Mikey?

"In light of that," Emma stopped with her sleeve, eyes locked on Leos' again. "Your question is, am I someone who'll hinder your protection over your family."

She left it at that, waiting. Leo took a deep breath, gauging her every feature. "Did you allow the Kraang to make you into a clone? Did you want them to?"

"No."

"Have you ever worked with or for the Kraang or Oroku Saki in any capacity?"

"No."

Her voice, her face, hadn't wavered on either answer. A loud _whoop-whoop_ echoed through the lair, letting all know that Mikey was back- and that he had beaten Raph home. Emma heard it and immediately went to perking her appearance up. "I've given you my word, Leonardo. I'll let you and your family decide what to do with it."


	18. Chapter 18

**}{}{Two Weeks Later}{}{**

The Kraang were keeping themselves quiet behind the doors of TCRI. April had just returned from her third attempt, along with the guys, to break open those doors. Nothing doing. They had completely cut themselves off, the exact opposite of what they all had been expecting after getting Emma back. Not to mention killing off her clone. Leo didn't like it. Mikey had been worried that they might try to come after Emma again, but there'd been no attempt. With Impostress reduced to sewer sludge, they had no reason to repeat their mistakes. It was too risky, messing with friends of ninja turtles, April hoped they had learned.

April locked the apartment door behind her. She heard Emma's muffled voice from the living room. "Yes, that's right… I'm glad that I was able to reach you…"

She sounded like herself again, to April's relief. Not just the croak being gone out of her voice, but she almost sounded excited. Not quite her usual pluck, but… April had tried to set herself- and Mikey- up for the possibility that that might never come back. Nobody ever entered a terror like that and came out the same. These last two weeks of Emma having to regain her appetite and screaming awake at least once a night was proof of that. But now, hearing her voice, maybe things were looking up.

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me!" Emma was exclaiming into the phone. "I sent the application in so late... of course I can get that sent over… within the week. Thank you, good-bye."

She hung up, the smile fading. She looked relived more then happy.

"Who was that?" April asked, setting their mail on the coffee table.

"Administration office for North Carolina Marine Science Institute." Emma said. "Their new semester starts the last week of August. I got accepted."

April stopped, then stared at her. Her mind wheeled back over the conversation and it suddenly made sense. "That- I didn't know you had applied."

"This past winter." Emma motioned with a thumb over her shoulder to the time past.

"But don't you need to finish…"

"They learned that I had been attending NYU." Emma said. "After checking my grades, they added me in early. Some sort of invasion-relief gesture for their PR image. Lots of colleges have been doing it since the university won't be starting classes up till winter semester of this year anyway."

"True." April recalled the fact. It had been hit pretty hard; many of the teachers had turned out to be Kraang-bots. Some of the students too.

"Well, congratulations." April drew up a smile. In her mind, she had imagined two more years with her friend; two more years to patch up the mess that April knew her indecisiveness had caused. Emma nodded with a half-smile of her own. "Thanks."

That was what April was talking about, patching things up. They hadn't had an actually conversation since getting Emma back from the Kraang. April had told Emma she was sorry- repeatedly. Casey, Donnie, and Leo had too. Mikey hadn't had to and April had all but forced Raph to say something. But somehow, April knew that their apologetics hadn't quite reached her. Meanwhile, Emma took the silence as a cue and started for her bedroom.

 _Tell her to change her mind._ April cursed her cowardice. _Tell her it's a mistake to go now, with things as they are. Tell her that you're sorry; AGAIN!_

And she was! Sorry for what had happened to Emma, sorry that she hadn't trusted her, sorry for everything. But April needed to remember that getting into a marine program had been Emma's long-term plan all along. Yet, the circumstances under which she was leaving…

"Emma." April followed her to her bedroom door.

"Yeah?" Emma looked back, hand on the knob. Her door had been closed so much since she'd been back. Another oddity to their open and carefree Emma. Another thing April hoped would change.

"I…" April pinched at the zipper of her purse. "Just… when a friend leaves, I should feel like I'm going to see them again. And we haven't really said anything…"

Emma drew in a breath. "April. I just need space."

"Yeah. But Emma, that's just it." April came around, so they'd face each other better. " _You_ don't need space. _You_ don't sit quietly and not explain things. You ramble and try to make analogies that make everyone laugh or weird out. And you cram so much food in your mouth and don't let anything stop you from being who you are…"

"The people in North Carolina don't _know_ who I am." Emma stopped April, her eyes watering. "I applied under my mom's maiden name same and, by the grace of God, left my dad's name out of it. Good thing too because I called NYU a few days ago. They dropped me from the roster. Because of my dad."

 _Aw, man._ April touched Emma on her arm. Emma drew it back. "It just… keeps happening, keeps following me. But this last…" she didn't finish; too much to pinpoint. She faced April now. "I'm not going to keep getting disappointed. My hopes and dreams and well-timed idioms were doing just fine until you all decided to label me as Benedict Arnold. Not once, but twice."

"Emma…" April tried to put in.

"And maybe I can see why you did it," Emma went on, turning her knob. "Because of Master Splinter and the guys. But… you don't get how much it hurt when you did."

With that, she went in and closed the door, leaving April to the loneliness of the hallway.


	19. Chapter 19

"We did this." Donnie admitted aloud, since no one else would. He had had to hack into the North Carolina college's 2016 roster to get Mikey to believe it. Emma was leaving; two years before she had planned to anyway. Donnie had pointed this out as well, but it had been on Mikey's deaf and depressed ears. April was how any of them heard from Emma these days. They had had plenty to keep them occupied, but Donnie was willing to bet the shame was hanging over all their heads like it was his. He had tried to get Emma to come in for a check-up, after she'd been out of the tank for a week. But Emma had told April that she was fine.

 _A word that doesn't apply to any of us in this situation._ Donnie stopped typing and looked over at Mikey through the window of his lab into the living area. He sat, slumped with his legs dangling over the edge and into the water. He was holding his skateboard, but wasn't tinkering with it or intending to hop on and soar around the lair like he usually did. Donnie had never seen him look so forlorn!

He shifted his eyes to where he heard the clang-clang of Raphael's weights. He wiped out his shell cell and shot his brother a text. _You need to break him out of this!_

The clanging stopped, then Donnie's cell lit up. _What?! Why me? Get Fearless 2 do it._

 _Leo's tried. You haven't._

 _I've already completed my community service for the month._

Donnie tapped his fingers, glaring up at the spot of Raphael's room. He texted again. _Do it! Or I'll magnetize all your weights to the ceiling!_

There was a loud huff and then Raph appeared, jumping down and stalking over to Mikey. "Hey, pinhead!"

 _Oh no!_ Donnie sprung out of his chair to intervene. _Dumb Donnie, Dumb Donnie!_

Of course, Raph reached Mikey before Donnie could intervene. Raph hunched down across from Mikey and splashed some water up in his face. It at least got the melancholy turtle to look at him.

"So your girlfriend's leaving." Raph shrugged. "Your brothers, April, Casey, Sensei, we ain't going anywhere. And we're not putting up with this gloom-n-doom act of yours. You've still got a few months before she leaves, right? So get out there and make 'em a few months she won't ever forget."

Mikey blinked at Raph. Then the mood of his face lifted slightly. "Oh… OH! Bro, you're right. What was I thinking, keeping all this handsome locked up from her!"

He hopped up, flipping his board around and firing it up under his feet. "I gotta brainstorm, dude! Still a few hours of daylight… I got this!"

And _voom!_ he and his board were off. Donnie couldn't resist smiling, patting Raph's shoulder. "You're a good turtle."

"Shut up!" Raph knocked him off, whirling on him. "Touch my weights and you're a dead turtle!"

 **?THE END?**

 **Not to worry, there's an epilogue on the way. I call it 'The Black Tie Affair', to be posted soon. If you're a lover of Mikey/Emma, I highly recommend reading it! Thanks so much for the reads, as always, you guys are amazing to stick with my stories like you do.**

 **I am signing off for the holidays... a very Merry Christmas to all of you! Lots of people say that, but I assure you that I mean every syllable. It's the time of the year to celebrate Jesus' birth, (AKA love) and I know some of you may not celebrate Jesus' birth, but know that He celebrates YOU!**

 **So I will lead by His example and celebrate YOU as well!**

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **(P.S. I'll be back with more TMNT awesomeness in January.)**


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